The Miracles of Wilde
by The Omni-Trinity
Summary: What does a poor red fox do with his heart when it's shattered by the one rabbit he loves most? Run from it? Hide from it? For Nick Wilde, he decides to give it to the City...it is the season for giving after all. Holiday/Eventual WildeHopps.
1. Chapter 1

**Now taking bets to see if I finish this before the 25th.**

 **Zootopia is property of Disney. Rated T for language /minor viol/suggestive themes.**

The atmosphere within the Meadowlands tavern was as far from the holiday spirit as one could possibly be. Christmas was still more than a week away, yet the entire city of Zootopia was bounding with the holiday spirit. Shopping, partying, sharing smiles and laughter with family and close friends. Couple that with a nice sheet of natural snow that stretched across all of the city's districts, and you found yourself with a holiday no mammal was bound to forget.

The exception being the poor mammals sitting in the lonely bar on the edge of the frozen wasteland that was normally the lush, grassy green Meadowlands during any other time of the year. The bartender wiping drink glasses behind the counter was a middle aged pig in a plaid shirt and had more lines on his face than a railroad map. There were only a few patrons in the bar on that cold December night, two reindeer shooting pool in the corner, a hyena and mule watching the hoofball game on the television while chain smoking, and sitting at the bar itself dressed far too nicely was a red fox.

He was dressed in a high class black vest with a white under shirt and red tie. Complete with steel gray slacks and an equally gray trench coat that was wadded into a ball on the stool to his left. Slumped over the bar top, he had an elbow propped on the bar with his chin resting in his paw, eyes lazily watching the dancing liquid in his glass as he swirled it around. The collar of his shirt was popped, his tie half done. The medium sized scotch bottle next to his elbow was almost half-empty.

"Owned this bar far too long not to notice a busted heart when I see one" came a rough voice.

The fox looked up to find the pig bartender standing in front of him. The fox chuckled without humor.

"You're not far off" the fox replied.

"It helps to talk about it" the pig went on. "Ain't the season to be alone is it?"

Nick Wilde eyed the bartender slowly and huffed lightly through his nose.

 _If only you knew..._

Normally at this point Nick would throw up his trademark smirk and dish out a smarmy quip. His natural arsenal of deflecting any chance of revealing his heart to the world. But hey, Christmas only comes once a year right? Might as well be charitable for once...

"I've made a lot of mistakes throughout my life. But three of them really take the cake"

"Let's hear him then"

"Number one, selling a rug to a noted crime boss made from the fur off a skunk's ass"

The pig could barely hold back a snicker at the fox's comment.

"Second, I was stupid enough to fall in love with the greatest person I've ever met, my best friend"

The bartender nodded. Already sensing the end of the fox's fable.

"The third fuck up?" he asked gruffly.

"And whoopsie number threesie, I was stupid enough to tell her"

"How'd she take it?" the barkeep asked with a snort.

The fox slowly raised his glass, his emerald eyes staring deep into the dark amber liquid.

"She ran..." he mumbled.

"Yeah, that's about how it-" the pig began.

"...literally"

The pig snorted again and shook his head slightly.

"Salt in the wound my friend, that's what that is" said the pig.

The fox shrugged. He finished off his glass only to have it filled by the bartender with the scotch bottle. Deep in Nick's pocket, he could feel the vibration from his phone alerting him of a new text message. The twelfth in the past ten minutes. He again chose to ignore it. His eyes focusing back on the pig who began to speak.

"I served in the Army for nearly thirty years. Got to lay my hands on every weapon imaginable. Grenades, landmines, anti-air guns, hell, even drove a tank on a dare once."

The bartender placed a few empty glasses back in their place on a shelf before continuing.

"But I ain't never seen a weapon that can ruin a mammal's spirit better than a woman who snaps a man's heart in half. Forget bullets, poor thing's already good as dead. Without it, there ain't much left. Simple nature of the heart my friend. "

"Yeah...nature" Nick grumbled into his glass, taking another swig.

"But at the same time, there ain't nothing that can stop mammal when he's got fire in his soul. In my opinion, that's all a woman does for a man. Just gives him a sense of purpose he didn't know he needed."

"Don't you mean wanted?" Nick asked pointedly.

"Hell no. Don't matter what we want. We don't matter. Sun comes up, sun goes down, every damn day. We are born, we live, we die, and we get replaced. Ain't nothing we can do about it."

"You're a ball of holiday cheer aren't you?" Nick quipped with a smile.

The pig snorted and continued.

"But when a mammal has his heart fixed on something he cares most of all, the rest of the world can go to hell. Nothing else matters. That's what love is for anyways, gives meaning to the whole damn riddle. Your hurtin because the one person that gives you purpose up and left. Makes you feel empty. Incomplete"

Nick slowly raised himself in his seat at the pig's words while pouring another glass.

"So maybe this girl don't like you, maybe she does. That ain't the point, point is you need to reclaim what your heart got out of her. Your sense of meaning. Only that will pull you out of the hole you're drinking yourself into"

"That ain't much help barkeep. What if she _is_ the point? She is nothing _but_ the point? How can I go on if she isn't there with me?" Nick complained.

"You just answered your own question smart guy. I said you need what your heart got out of her, and you just said you can't be without her. You want her to love you, but what you need is to be with her. Maybe not as lovers, just with her. It ain't about what you want, it's about what you need. Figure it out what it is you need out of her, then it all makes sense"

Nick slumped in his seat, not entirely convinced the pig was making any sense. He knew he loved Judy, he knew he was _madly_ in love with her. Known for quite some time now. He wanted nothing more than for her to love him back in the absolute worst way.

He _needed_ her love...Gods above did he need her love...

But maybe having Judy love him back wasn't the point, maybe what the pig said was true and all he needed was just being around her. Being involved in her life. In whatever way he could.

He simply didn't know. Nothing made sense anymore.

Well, he did know _one_ thing.

"You're way too good to work in a bar" Nick joked, emptying his glass again.

"Poetry don't pay. Booze does" said the pig.

A small chortle escaped Nick's lips as he focused back on his drink. The bartender wisely decided Nick was done talking for the moment and moved off to serve some other patrons. Pouring himself another glass, Nick barely noticed the new prickly attendee that seated herself down at the bar two stools away.

"Bartender, I would like a Hard Hart's Clover" the porcupine asked.

"Coming up" the pig replied, reaching under a counter.

Nick's eyes moved left without turning his head to study the porcupine. She barely looked old enough to be out of high school. Red, thick rimmed glasses, nose and lip piercings, black and white striped hoodie, and several strands of artificially colored needles on the top of her head. She looked miserable.

Nick couldn't help but notice the way she gingerly nursed her right arm every time she shifted in her seat. Her stuffy red eyes and occasional sniffle was evidence enough she had had a poor evening experience.

"Rough night?" he asked.

"What's it to you pal?" she sneered.

"More than you realize" he replied.

It was true in a sense. As little as two years ago, he would've looked away without a second of hesitation. He was a hustler, a mammal out for your money, not your well being. And certainly not someone who cared. But a byproduct of living as an officer of the law, you learn to care, and once you do, it never goes away that easily. Nick rapped twice on the bar with his knuckles and jerked his head in the porcupine's direction.

"Hey barkeep, she's on me"

The porcupine gawked at him but said nothing. Gratefully accepting her clover tasting beer without question. Neither the fox nor porcupine said anything for several minutes. Each absorbing the silence like oxygen to a fire.

"Thanks" she finally said.

The fox raised his glass at her in acknowledgement.

"Nature's own painkiller"

"Something I could really use right now..." she said taking a sip.

"I would too, If I had bruises coming in"

The porcupine nearly choked on her beer at the fox's remark. She coughed twice then did her best to avoid the fox's gaze.

"Who did it?" he asked sternly.

Somewhere in his head, he registered he had slipped into interrogate mode. The reason for it, he couldn't quite place. The porcupine stared fearfully at the fox, his emerald eyes boring right into her spirit. She failed to hold back a sniffle as she spoke.

"My...boyfriend. Anton, he gets a bit...rough, when he's angry." she replied meekly.

Nick's eyes hardened as he watched the porcupine rub her right arm absentmindedly. A fire that had been brewing in his heart for the past hour began to grow.

"How often?"

"I-"

"How...often" he said more firmly.

The porcupine squirmed in her seat.

"Once or twice...a week" she said quietly.  
What happened next, to this day Nick couldn't explain. Perhaps it was the alcohol muddling his judgement, or maybe the atom bomb that was Judy's rejection had obliterated all sense of his inner emotion. His common sense included. But what came next out of his mouth, he said without thinking.

"You know what, let's go" he exclaimed.

"H-huh?"

Nick threw back the last of his scotch and opened his wallet to slam down a couple of twenties on the bar.

"Let's go see your boyfriend, have a nice little chat" he declared.

Slipping on his trench coat, Nick marched out of the bar and into the cold world outside. Back inside the porcupine looked fearfully at the barkeep hoping desperately he had an idea on what to do next. The barkeep had none and simply shrugged in defeat. Taking one last gulp of beer, the porcupine nervously followed the fox out into the streets. Where she found him waiting with both paws in the pockets of his coat.

"You have a ride?" he asked casually.

"Y-yes, this way"

She led him down the street where a small cargo van was parked. Despite some rust around the wheel wells, the vehicle looked halfway decent. It even occurred to Nick that her van was a slightly newer model of Finnick's. Only painted white and actually clean. Clambering inside with the porcupine at the wheel and Nick in the passenger seat, they soon rejoined the main road to head out of town.

"I deeply apologize, but what is your name?" Nick asked.

"Anna"

"Pleasure to meet you Anna"

"Likewise, mister...?"

Nick hesitated for a brief moment. Debating whether revealing his name was a good idea given the circumstances. He was about to say something when the van hit a bone jarring bump, causing something large and heavy in the back to fall over with a thump.

"What the heck is back there?" he asked.

"Costumes..." Anna whispered, seemingly embarrassed.

"Costumes? Really? Are you a stage performer?"

"Sort of, I work as a costume and make up designer for the Meadowlands Civic Drama Theater. I sometimes take stuff home to finish"

Nick's eyes slowly took in the large amount of fabric, props, and miscellaneous items stuffed inside cardboard boxes. The whole affair creating more questions than answers in his head.

"That's a lot of material to go through for just one mammal" he said simply.

Anna squeezed the steering wheel a little more tightly. Her eyes drifting out the side window.

"I sometimes make costumes, for some...clubs around town. I need the extra money to..." she replied.

Nick huffed through his nose. The scotch was beginning to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Pay your boyfriend's rent...hopefully

To Anna's surprise, the fox climbed out of his seat and disappeared into the rear of the van. The sound of items being moved around soon met her ears.

"Mind if I borrow a few things? Don't worry, I'm not keeping anything. Oh, and some makeup too?" he called out.

Anna tried to find the fox in the rear view mirror, but could make nothing out of the darkness of the rear compartment.

"S-sure help yourself" she said confusedly. She was really our of her depth.

Three red stop lights later, the fox reemerged and took his spot in the passenger seat. The porcupine had to do a double take to be able to recognize he was the same fox she met in the bar. His shirt, vest and tie had disappeared and been replaced with a dark green polo and brown faux leather jacket. His gray slacks giving way to a pair of black jeans.

But the distinct change, was the heavy use of makeup which changed his rusty red and cream fur color into a dirty blonde and smoky gray mix. Complete with golden brown tipped ears. The perfect example of the color scheme for a gray fox.

"You look amazing! I don't recognize you!" Anna exclaimed.

"My old job sometimes needed a lot of dress up. New one does as well. Scares me sometimes the skills of one job keeps showing up in the other" Nick groused, buttoning his jacket.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want? I barely know you!"

"No, you don't barely know me, you don't know a single thing about me. And that is the point my dear prickly friend" the now gray fox said with a smirk.

"But why then?"

It was a long time before Nick finally replied.

"Truth is Anna, I need to blow off some steam."

-

The odd duo soon entered the Downtown district of the Meadowlands and finally arrived in front of a dilapidated apartment complex. The architecture suggested the building was at a least a century in age and had certainly seen better days. Trash packed in corners, worn window frames, and only a few lights could be seen on in the entire building.

"This is the place?" Nick asked.

"Y-yes"

"You don't have to see this, just tell me his apartment number"

"N-no, I'm coming with you"

Nick didn't protest as he exited the van, Anna soon following close behind. Climbing to the third floor, the pair soon found themselves standing in front of apartment number thirty-three. The frame looked scratched and busted from previous, violent openings. Nick raised a single eyebrow and cocked his head at the door. Anna simply nodded at his gesture. Nick motioned with his hand for her to stay back, then politely knocked twice. They waited for four minutes then Nick knocked again with a little more force.

"I'm coming already!" called a voice.

The sound of several locks and deadbolts being opened could be heard from the other side. As the door opened with a nasty creak, the boyfriend, Anton, was revealed to be a chubby praire dog wearing a death metal band t-shirt and ripped jeans.

"Who the fuck are you?!" he snapped.

"Pizza delivery" Nick replied with a smirk.

"I didn't order any fu-"

 _ **POW!**_

The blow from Nick's fist sent the prairie dog reeling back into the apartment. Where he ungracefully knocked over a coffee table on his trip down to the floor. A small gasp came from Anna as she swiftly covered her mouth in shock.

"You have a nasty habit of hitting girls when you're upset" Nick said, stepping inside. "I think we ought to fix that"

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Anton shouted.

"Bring it"  
The prairie dog lunged toward Nick with his fore claws fully extended. The crazed rodent swiped at Nick from the left but missed as Nick smoothly stepped to the side. Bringing his elbow down on the side of the prairie dog's head hard. Nick then followed up with a swift kick to the praire dog's gut, knocking the wind completely out of the mammal.

As Anton wheezed and sputtered, Nick noticed at that moment there was an open box filled with a certain type of dried, green foliage of dubious legality stuffed in a corner of the apartment. He smiled a little on the inside knowing the ZPD was going to receive an anonymous tip very soon.

 _ **POW!**_

Hot, electric pain danced over Nick's skull as Anton's fist connected with his right eye. For a chubby, abusive moocher, the prairie dog had one hell of a gun on him. Before Anton could continue his assault, Nick expertly blocked the next punch then proceeded to dislocate Anton's jaw completely with a punch of his own. Those extra boxing sessions Judy put him through were really paying off.

 _Judy..._

Nick's blood ran hot. He delivered two more blows to Anton's face, one's much harder than before, then dropped the prairie dog completely with a roundhouse kick to his mid section. The sound of something cracking was apparent as Anton collapsed to the floor, his breathing ragged. With both fists still tingling, Nick loomed over the mammal and gripped him firmly by the top of his shirt, lifting him up just enough to look him square in the eyes.

"Listen here scumbag, tonight you're going to clean up your act once and for all. You're going to find a job, pay your own bills, and work out your anger management issues. Deal? Otherwise, I'm very sure the authorities would love to haul your fat ass in for abuse. Or perhaps I'll just beat you again." Nick stated.

"O-okay" the prairie dog whimpered, blooding dripping off his face.

"Good, now you're going to apologize to your girlfriend Anna, and swear to her on your life you will never lay another claw on her in anger ever again for as long as you both live?"

"S-sorry..."

"Not to me! HER!" Nick shouted pointing at Anna.

The prairie dog began to shake. He slowly rotated his face to find the equally shaking Anna standing in the doorway.

"S-sorry Anna..I-i promise I won't hurt you agaAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Anton's wail of agony filled the entire apartment as Nick slammed a fist on the prairie dog's already bruised rib cage.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you!" Nick shouted.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I promise! I PROOOOMIIIISSSEEEE!"

Nick finally smiled, dropping his voice back into a pleasant tone.

"Excellent"

Releasing his grasp, Nick left the wounded mammal to groan pitifully in a heap on the floor. For a brief moment, Nick felt a twinge of regret in his actions, but the thought was quickly cast aside when he remembered the reason for his appearance. In two years as an officer, he had seen worse. Grabbing the shell shocked Anna by her shoulders, Nick slowly shuffled the porcupine out of the apartment.

"Come on" he ordered.

The two mammals retreated back to Anna's van and made a clean break back into town. Not stopping once until Nick asked to be let off at the ZTA line transit station. He had no other mode of transport as Judy used the Cruiser they borrowed that night to flee from him and his feelings. Stepping out of the van, now wearing his own clothing once more, he paused a moment to give a pointed look at the porcupine.

"If he ever tries anything again, you run. You hear me? You run away and call the ZPD"

"Ok, though I think he'll treat me better no-"

"No you're not. Your never seeing him again, am I clear?"

"But you made him say-" Anna began, surprise filling her eyes.

"That was his punishment. I highly doubt one beating will get him to change his behavior. The actual smart thing to do, is to stay away and never give him the time of day again. And to avoid all others like him from now on."

"B-but I-"

"Anna listen, you seem like a nice girl. But you can do better than hangout with scumbags like that."

The porcupine shrunk a little in her seat.

"I thought he really liked me...made me feel attractive, even though I'm not..."

"Hey now, it's not that bad, you're a good looking gal. You're just starting out, you still have plenty more Christmas's to burn before you find your special someone. There's no need to rush. I know I didn't"

"Did you ever find someone?" she asked softly.

It took all of Nick's willpower to keep a straight face.

"Oh yes, yes I did. And she was totally worth the wait" he said with a genuine warm smile.

Anna slowly smiled back at him, her eyes just a little misty.

"Take care Anna. Oh, Merry Christmas by the way" he called as he back to walk away.

"Merry Christmas to you too sir! And thank you!" she called back.

Still smiling, he waved at her one more time before disappearing up the steps of the train station. It took nearly another hour before he finally reached his apartment in Savannah Central. What with avoiding late-night shoppers and narrowly falling victim to being the audience of a group of traveling carolers.

Arriving at his medium sized apartment, Nick dumped his trench coat, phone and keys before stepping into his bathroom to wash off the gray fox makeup. Wincing a little as the throbbing pain around his eye began to make itself noticeable.

Grabbing a pack of frozen peas from the freezer for his eye, Nick slumped down into his couch and spent the next half hour staring blankly at the ceiling. The events of the night slowly replaying in his mind...

Driving Judy to the holiday festival on the edge of the Meadowlands in their own Cruiser, right where the river meets the ocean. The high class dinner of white wine, baked gourmet vegetables, a platter of steaming salmon for Nick, and a nice, smooth dark chocolate cake for dessert. He even decided to be bold and offer Judy a dance on the outside, pavilion ballroom floor amongst a sea of waltzing couples. It was all so perfect.

He remembered everything. The smell of her perfume, the way the light danced on her lavender dress, the feeling of her soft paws in his own. The way her eyes shined like exotic gems every time he looked at her. Her heavenly voice as she talked. He couldn't hide it anymore. It needed to be said.

 _I love you Judy, with all of my heart..._

Suddenly it all came tumbling down. The sparkle in Judy's eyes vanished, her smile slid into a frown. Confusion and apprehension replaced what was joy and merriment only moment's before. Tears slid down her cheeks as she stuttered something in response, but Nick didn't need his acute vulpine hearing to make out the words 'I don't'

Pulling herself from his grasp, she turned on her heels and bolted into the night.

She didn't stop. No matter how loudly he screamed her name.

She didn't stop running.

Nick's body jerked violently as he sobbed. With the adrenaline from the brawl wearing off, the alcohol was finally doing it's trick and loosening up the dams he had spent years crafting to hide his emotions from the world. An hour had nearly passed again when Nick finally pulled himself together and started to get ready for bed. Dumping his clothes in a heap on the floor, he dropped into bed ungracefully and closed his bloodshot eyes. It had even started to snow outside.

 _Tomorrow's another day..._

As he drifted into a restless sleep. somewhere inside his head he noted the voice he heard wasn't his.

 **A/N: What will happen between Judy and Nick? Stay tuned!**

 **Before anyone asks, the barkeep's twisted sense of romance and world views come from an older cousin of mine whose ramblings are far too crazy not to use for writing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the attention this has received! Seriously, my jaw is still on the floor. I just hope I can keep it going for you all...(Seriously, I'm greener than green when it comes to writing fiction)**

 **I wanted to reply to the reviews, but the website doesn't seem to want to display them properly. So too all who reviewed, thank you so much! You have no idea how much it means to me.**

 **Five points for you if you get Bogo's reference moment.**

 **Zootopia is property of the House of Mouse**

* * *

Police work rarely settled for long periods of time, the holiday season being no exception. The lobby of Precinct One was a prime example of this. Despite the red ribbons hanging from the upper floors, the giant decorated tree that was as tall as a giraffe and wide as an elephant sitting to the side, and the numerous charity fundraiser posters on every wall, the entire area was alive with the flurry of activity.

Mammals of all species, shapes and sizes were filling about the station. A moose lawyer in a trench coat was on his way to the interrogation rooms, a line of gerbils were filing out the door after they completed their affairs, and behind them, a pair of hyena brothers were being dragged in for disturbing the peace by initiating a snow ball fight in the middle of a gridlocked intersection.

Smack in the center of the chaos was the reception desk. Manned by a portly cheetah who was busy stuffing his face with as many tiny candy canes and jelly doughnuts as possible. The top of his desk filled with novelty snow globes of various themes: Gazelle, Christmas trees, Gazelle at the North Pole, igloos, Gazelle in a Santa Paws outfit, snow mammals in top hats, and even Gazelle dressed as a heavenly angel.

Up above his head, the normally visible ZPD Badge plaque was obscured by a large wreath filled with red and silver Christmas tree bulbs. The cheetah was briefly pulled from his morning snack when he noticed a pair of aviator sunglasses walk into the building. A piping hot cup of coffee in one paw, and his police mammal hat stuffed under an armpit.

"Morning Officer Wilde!" the cheetah greeted.

"Morning Clawhauser, how are the pastries today?" Nick said happily.

"Just to die for! Snarlbucks has this new peppermint jelly filled doughnut that tastes heavenly! You should try one!" Clawhauser exclaimed, offering said donut.

"Nah, I'll pass for now buddy. Got all I need right here" Nick said, indicating his coffee. "But save one for me later"

"Sure thing Nick, I will-"

The cheetah didn't get to finish his comment as the donut slipped from his fingers and began to roll over the top of the desk. The exact moment the donut rolled off the edge, Clawhauser leaped forward and grabbed the loose pastry with full strength. Squishing the donut till it was as thin as a piece of paper, and splattering Nick with a face full of peppermint jelly.

 ** _SPLAT!_**

"Oh I'm so sorry Nick!" the cheetah said nearly with a cry.

"It's alright buddy, easy fix" Nick said with a chuckle.

Removing his sunglasses to clean them and his face, Nick tried a taste of the jelly and hummed a little in contentment.  
"Mmmm, that's pretty good peppermint" he said, wiping his cheekbones.

"Oh my goodness, Nick your eye! Are you okay?"

Nick kicked himself mentally, barely ten minutes into the work day and he blew his own damn cover. He was not himself today...

"Went to the bar last night with my pal Finnick, had a few too many, came home and had an argument with my door. The door won." the fox explained with a shrug.

"You sure it wasn't your friend?" Clawhauser asked with concern.

Nick's smirk widened and shook his head. Slipping the now clean sunglasses back on his now clean face.

"I'm sure, if it was Finnick I'd be in Savanna Central Hospital drinking coffee through a tube. The little guy knows how to take mammals down." Nick said, his smirk never falling.

Clawhauser merely nodded slowly.

"Officer Fluff come in yet? She's normally talking with you when I arrive"

Clawhauser shook his head.

"She took the rest of the week off for the holiday. She'll be back on the 27th." he replied.

Thank god for his thick red fur, otherwise Clawhauser would've seen the color drain completely from Nick's face. If his coffee cup could speak, it would be screaming for mercy from the death grip he was giving it.

 _She_ ** _left?!_**

"Did she say why?" Nick asked steadily.

"Went back home to see her family out in Bunnyburrow. She scheduled this a month ago"

A giant weight slid off Nick's shoulders only to replaced by another. He had spent the entire morning wrestling with himself to sum up enough courage to go into work at all. The fear of seeing Judy after last night's debacle was eating away at his soul so intensely he felt sick.

Well, he was sick. Having a half bottle of scotch in one setting was an easy way to get reacquainted with one's toilet. As Nick realized the moment his alarm awoke him from his slumber. But for Judy to just disappear and head for home without warning or a simple goodbye was not like her in the least. The whole scenario seemed awfully familiar.

"She did tell you, didn't she?" the cheetah asked gently.

 _No...she_ ** _didn't_**

"Oh that's right, slipped my mind. I remember now" he said smoothly. "Well, I gotta get going Clawhauser, buffalo butt will have my head for an ornament if I'm late. See you later"

"Have a nice day Nick!"

Nick threw the cheetah a mock salute and whisked away to the Bullpen. The new information about Judy was settling like a rock in his heart.

She left? Why didn't she tell me she was leaving?

A light bulb suddenly flickered inside his head. Whipping out his phone, he scrolled through the list of messages he received from Judy after they separated. He had poured over them desperately that morning once he finished emptying his stomach in his bathroom. Hoping beyond hope the dinner from last night was a dream...but one in particular stood out.

 _Can we talk?_

 _I just want 2 explain!_

 _Nick please! I need 2 talk to u!_

 _I guess we'll talk later...I need 2 go...Goodbye Nick._

His stomach dropped. _That's_ what she meant. Judy never said _goodby_ e in her text messages unless she was traveling.

 _Son of a..._

Pocketing his phone with a scowl, he headed inside the briefing room where all of his fellow officers that were equally his family as he was theirs were busy chatting about this and that about the holiday season and challenging each other to quick games of strength.

Francine the elephant had both Delgato the lion, and Snarloff the polar bear trapped in a headlock with both arms. The two burly mammals were fruitlessly trying to break free from her grasp to which the massive elephant simply laughed. The moment Nick walked into the room, he started to trade a few jabs and witty remarks to several others who all tried in vain to out comment the silver tongued fox.

"Hey Wilde, you got a moment?..."

Nick paused mid-step to find himself face to face with Blitz, a dull brown furred dingo who had a reputation for being the rare combo of being the crudest mammal alive yet endlessly endearing.

"...Wanted to know if you were free Friday night, perhaps you'd like to have a few rounds"

The memories of last night flashed inside Nick's head. Not just the disastrous dinner with Judy, but the rocky aftermath. The Meadowlands bar, the porcupine Anna, and the convenient anger outlet her boyfriend Anton provided. It all only served to convince Nick staying sober was the smart choice till he found a way to keep his heart in check.

"Sorry bud, promised I take my mother out to see a Nutcracker show downtown" he lied easily.

"Say it ain't so! The famous Police Officer Nick Wilde, total momma's boy!" Blitz shouted out with humor.

"What can I say Blitz? Can't deny the truth" Nick jabbed, grinning from ear to ear.

"You need to get out more Wilde, see the sights, enjoy life for once!" the dingo jabbed back with a smile.

"And have my face posted as an advisory warning in every club and bar in town? Not a chance. Unlike you Blitz I have some amount of self-respect and personal hygiene. The ladies dig it more"

The brown dingo nearly howled with laughter and flipped Nick the bird. To which Nick smirked back and opened out his arms as if to say _'What are you going to do about it?'_

Which only made the dingo laugh even harder.

As Nick approached the front of the room, his heart started to grow cold. Sure he was relieved he had time to think his way out of the mess he had created with Judy, but it still dampened his spirit to find his usual seat unoccupied by the beautiful bunny that refused to leave his thoughts.

But his seat _was_ occupied.

Sitting on her knees so she could have her elbows resting on the table, was a gold and black furred tabby cat officer in a thick ZPD winter coat with a polished badge pinned to the front. A dark cloud of emotion Nick couldn't describe enveloped his heart at the sight.

"Who are you?" he asked.

His voice must've been more hostile than he realized, for the cat turned to face him with a horrified expression. Her moonlight yellow eyes were wide with fear.

"O-o-oh I'm sorry! Is this your seat? I can leave!" she sputtered.

"No no! It's alright. Normally I sit here, hence the question" he explained quickly with a friendly face.

The cat settled her seat and seemed to relax at his words. Nick slipped off his sunglasses, tucked them in his shirt pocket, and offered out his paw to the cat.

"Officer Wilde" he said.

"Officer Veranda" said the cat, shaking his paw with her own.

"Never seen you before around here. And I know _everybody_ "

"I'm from Precinct Three. I'm here on a special request from your Chief"

Nick raised an eyebrow at this. Gears were beginning to turn in his head.

"Really? Any idea for what?"

The tabby cat shrugged her shoulders.

"Not a clue. My Chief booted my butt here so fast I think he left an imprint" she said with a wince.

Nick chuckled at her statement. Strict punctuality seemed to be a recurring trait amongst Zootopia's Police Chief's. Still though, something about this cat seemed to ring a bell. Especially that name...Veranda...Veranda...what was it?

 _Something about a rapper in Sahara Square...WAIT_

"Wait a minute..." Nick stated, eyeing the cat suspiciously "Tabby cat, Precinct three, last name Veranda...you mean the Veranda that busted Marco Miles?!"

The cat officer shrugged a little in embarrassment, a sheepish grin plastered on her face.

"The one and only" she said.

Nick's grin grew to a devilish length, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Ok, now you have tell me everything that happened between you and rapper Marco Miles that night in Sahara Square. And don't try to fool me with the rumors, I've heard them all"

Veranda blushed a little in embarrassment but proceeded to tell the story behind her reputation in the ZPD. Marco Miles, five time number one hit hip hop artist, had been suspected of being in possession of illegal narcotics for two years. But the sneaky kangaroo had been smart enough to know the value of having crooked junkie friends looking for a fix, good cover stories, and an excellent lawyer.

That ended one night after a show in Sahara Square. After receiving a call from dispatch about a missing mammal alert, Veranda nearly turned the city upside down in desperation.

For the mammal in the report was her own curfew skipping, club going, mischievous sixteen year old sister.

Two hours of searching later, newly assigned Precinct Three Officer Veranda barged into the VIP suite of a dance club to find Miles, her wayward sister, and two other girls in a _very_ compromising position.

Miles tried to explain everything...

...Veranda tazed his ass. Elephant setting to boot.

Shortly after, Marco Miles was arrested for sex with underage minors and the story made waves in the media, especially the ZPD. Only one other Officer had such an eventful arrest in their first week on the job...

At the end of the story, the fox was nearly on the floor he was laughing so hard. Veranda herself couldn't help but giggle a little as well.

"That's just priceless! What are the odds? Whoo!" Nick exclaimed wiping away his tears. "I do apologize about your sister though..."

"No biggie, the slut has been caught doing worse. Of course, I'm sure that's nothing compared to what you and Officer Hopps have been through"

Nick's mirth dampened just a little at his partners name.

"So you've heard of me and Officer Toot toot?"

The cat raised an eyebrow at Nick's pet name for Judy, but she retained her smile. She then began to cite off a list, counting on her fingers.

"Naturally, first rabbit officer, first fox officer, the Nighthowler pandemic, arresting not one, but two corrupt mayors..."

"Every angry voter's dream..." Nick quipped.

"...all time high arrest record, enviable public presence, poster children for the ZPD, neighborhood hero cops, personal favorites of Zootopian elite and news networks..."

The tabby cat's continuing list actually began to worry Nick a little.

"So I take it we're kind of famous?" he said uneasily, cutting her off.

"To put it bluntly" Veranda said with a smug smile. "Makes the rest of us look like chumps"

"Never settle for anything less" he said, his smirk reaching new levels of obnoxiousness.

"Where is Officer Hopps?" the cat asked, still giggling.

"She's out in bunny land consorting with her bunny people. Leaving me to do all of the work... _again_ " he said feigning anguish.

The cat snickered at his behavior, not buying the act one bit.

"Well I better find a seat before grumpy the bison stomps in..."Nick said, looking for an empty chair.

"You can squeeze in with me, it's your seat after all" the cat offered.

With a light shrug, Nick climbed up into the large chair. Despite scooting in as far as what was politlely allowed, he still had to sit with one leg draped over the edge.

"Wicked black eye by the way, excellent line work, who's your artist?" she joked.

 _Oh, she is going to be_ ** _fun_**

"They come as standard. Precinct One mandate." Nick joked back.

The cat next to him giggled.

"How does Officer Hopps put up with you all day?" she teased.

"Because she loves me" Nick replied, his tone just that much less chipper.

 _Yeah...sure..._

"I bet she does" Veranda said sarcastically. Not noticing the icy edge that grew in Nick's eyes.

At that moment, their light hearted conversation ended as the hefty shape that was Officer Higgins the hippo snapped his feet together and straightened his back.

"Atten-HUTT!" Higgins declared.

The door to the bullpen opened and in marched one of the most imposing mammals Nick ever had the pleasure of knowing. His boss, and endless comedic punching bag.

Chief Bogo

"WHOO! WHOO! WHOO!" The entire room chanted.

It took all of Nick's cracked willpower not to visibly wince from the pounding of hooves and paws as Chief Bogo marched into the bullpen. He hadn't received his assignment for the day yet his headache was already threatening to split his head in two.

"Alright, Morning everyone. As we all know, the holidays are fast approaching, and despite what the shopping commercials and TV specials want to tell us, this is not a time of merriment and cheer, but a time of drunken dead beats, store brawls, domestic disputes and the worst driving season of the entire year. Which means it is still _our_ jobs to clean up the inevitable mess"

"Don't worry Chief, you've been a good boy this year. I'm sure Santa Paws will leave a nice, shiny new badge in your stocking" Nick quipped.

"Keep it up Wilde, and I'll be stuffing YOU down the Chimney! In PIECES!" the Chief roared, nostrils flaring.

The entire room broke out into a series of hermie giggles and chortling. All except the new tabby cat officer who looked terrified. No one would ever have the guts to admit it, but Nick's snarky comments always brought a little more life into the Chief's eyes every morning. The Chief adored it, they all knew it.

"Now getting back on track before I was _interrupted_ " Bogo snapped with a piercing look at the smirking fox, "We have a heavy roster today, and since many of our fellow officers have taken leave to spend much needed time with their families, that leaves the rest of you hooligans to pickup the slack"

The entire room continued to snicker under their breath as the buffalo slipped on his red reading glasses and began reading out assignments from a clipboard.

"Assignments...Officers Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, Delgato- Reports of illegal all night parties are coming in off the canals of the Rainforest District, get out there and dig up what you can"

The three mammal team of a tiger, polar bear, and lion departed with wide smiles, feeling ecstatic they get to spend the day out of the cold and in the humid climate of the Rainforest District.

"Officers, Mchorn, Rhinowitz, Wolford- Tundratown patrol. We have reports of shoplifters plaguing the streets. Keep your eyes peeled"

The two rhinos and wolf departed with Wolford playfully snatching the cruiser keys from a snickering Mchorn.

"Officers Higgins, Snarlof, Trunkaby- Organized peaceful protest detail in Sahara Square. If one hoof steps out of line, you shut them _down_ "

The third team left with an elephant giving a cheery, apologetic head noggie to the poor polar bear with a sore neck. Their hippo colleague chuckling behind them.

"Officers Wilde, Veranda, hang back. I want you to see in my office"

The cat and fox officer's exchanged a curious look but waited patiently until the rest of the morning briefing had concluded. Ten minutes later, the rest of the Bullpen had been emptied of Officers apart from Nick, Veranda, and Bogo himself. Jumping from her seat, Veranda approached the large mammal and gave a respectful salute.

"You wanted to see us sir?" she asked proudly.

"Yes I did Veranda. I have something important to discuss with you and Wilde before you head out on patrol"

"You're partnering us up?" Veranda asked, head tilted to the side.

"Are we out to find the true meaning of Christmas Chief?" came the fox's witty reply.

Bogo smoothly ignored the irritating fox and focused on answering Veranda's question.

"For the time being, with Officer Hopps on personal leave, that leaves me short on Officers to patrol Savannah Central, not to mention someone needs to look after this disgrace" Bogo explained, gesturing to Nick.

"I always knew you cared Chief" said Nick cheekily.

"Listen here you-" the Chief began angrily.

 ** _BEEPBEEP!BEEPBEEP!BEEPBEEP!BEEPBEEP!_**

Without taking his eyes off the fox, Bogo calmly reached for the nearby wall-mounted phone and answered.

"Bogo here. Yes Clawhauser?"

Bogo's eyes drifted into the distance as he listened.

"Yes I'm aware..." he continued.

Clawhauser's voice on the phone was too garbled to make out, but Nick could still tell the cheetah sounded nervous about something.

"I told him before that's a violation of protocol..." Bogo added.

There was more nervous chatter on the other end.

"Then please kindly tell the Mayor what I've told him a thousand times already, I cannot approve of an arrangement with such a large breach of security. And tell him, my answer is final. And if he doesn't like it, then please inform him he can just SHOVE IT UP HIS FAT ARSE!"

The Chief's spontaneous moment of near self-combustion caused both Nick and Veranda to step back a little in fear.

"Yes Clawhauser, those exact words. And be sure to tell the Mayor I said 'thank you' for the case of Ricco Cigars, it was very thoughtful"

Now finished, Bogo calmly placed the receiver back on the wall and addressed the two twitching Officers.

"My apologies, I've been discussing security arrangements with the Mayor for the Savannah Central holiday parade. We've had a few _bumps._ "

"Clearly. And isn't this the same Mayor you play cards with once a month?" Nick remarked.

"Not really. To say we play cards, the fat bastard needs to know how to play. We've wasted enough time, follow me to my office" The Chief declared, heading for the door.

"Can we keep the volume down this time Chief? Some of Santa's little helpers had a rough night yesterday" Nick moaned, rubbing his temples. His headache had been increasing from all the shouting.

"NOT REALLY!" Bogo bellowed deliberately.

With both ears ringing, jackhammers pounding his head, Nick quietly followed Bogo alongside a startled Veranda up to the third floor office. Once inside, they took the usual spot in the still too large chair in front of the Chief's desk. Unlike the rest of the building, there was no indication in the office whatsoever it was the Christmas season. No decorations, no tiny desk trees, no stockings, just nothing.

Except of course the tiny little Christmas cards written in crayon from his son and daughter sitting on the corner of his desk...but God help you if you ever dare comment on them.

"Lay it on us Chief, what do you have in store for us today? Stakeout? Drug bust? Kit Kat here is already well suited for it, just ask Marco Miles" Nick said, pointing at Veranda with a thumb.

" _Kit Kat?_ " she whispered to herself in confusion.

"Officer Wilde, you seem to be particularly zippy with your commentary today. Are you worried about something?" Bogo asked, one eyebrow raised.

Nick's heart skipped a beat. Damn buffalo and his interrogation skills. No one else but Nick's mother knew of the dinner between him and Judy. Office romance wasn't completely prohibited within the ZPD, but the Chief would always have to get involved if the possibility of the fallout from a failed relationship threatened the work and safety of officers in the line of duty.

After last night, Nick didn't know where he and Judy stood anymore, but he wasn't about to risk bringing down the career of the one he cared for above all. He thought of a lie, and he thought it up quick.

"Just embracing the holiday cheer sir" he said simply.

Bogo blew a puff of air through his nose. He wasn't impressed.

"Or should I inquire into your black eye _Officer_?" Bogo grumbled, eyes narrowing.

"Only if you want to hear a story involving ping pong, soft vixens, and bad judgement" Nick lied without missing a single beat.

The cat sitting next to him snorted, failing to contain her laughter completely. The buffalo police chief sighed and dragged a hoof down his face.

"Never mind, no I don't" Bogo replied.

"Your loss" Nick shrugged.

Veranda snorted even more loudly, but fell quiet instantly from the death glare Bogo was giving her. Turning from the two officers, Bogo began to shuffle through a stack of papers on his desk.

"I called you in here because you two have been selected to represent the department alongside the Mayor's cronies during the inaugural launch of the airship _Adonis_ on the twenty-fourth. I've already run this by your Chief, Veranda, and he seemed to be on board with this arrangement..." Bogo explained.

Nick's jaw dropped a little in shock. He remembered hearing about this, the _Adonis_ was a new luxury rigid air ship aimed at the wealthy elite of Zootopian society. Named after a species of butterfly, the entire ship was painted in a beautiful sapphire blue and was as long as most skyscrapers were tall. You had to be the rich mammal's _rich mammal_ to afford a ticket. Let alone a _room_...

"...but I wanted to run this option by you two first in case you weren't interested. As it does mean spending time on the clock on Christmas Eve" the Chief finished.

"Well how do you like that Kit Kat, a nice, comfy blimp ride, gorgeous view, and we get to rub elbows with who's who of the city and get paid doing so!" Nick exclaimed, nudging the cat with an elbow.

Veranda however, looked ready to jump out of her skin.

"I d-don't know, is there someone else you could pick instead Chief Bogo?" she asked meekly.

The Chief shook his head.

"Our first choice was Officer Hopps, but she declined the offer to spend time at home. The Mayor explicitly wants Officers with high public profiles. Which you and Wilde fit the bill"

Nick's ears twitched at this.

 _Another_ _detail Carrots forgot to mention..._

He was then pulled from his inner thoughts by the sound of a squawking feline to his left.

"I-I...well..y-you s-see..." Veranda stuttered, nearly on the verge of tears.

"We'll think about it Chief." Nick interrupted quickly. "Need to double check my schedule anyway"

Both Bogo and Veranda looked at the fox completely perplexed, but Bogo seemed to drop the subject regardless.

"Alright, we will save this discussion for later. You two, Savannah Central patrol for the rest of your shift. Now _out_ "

"As you wish your majesty" Nick shot back.

Feeling confident there were several veins throbbing in the Chief's neck, Nick donned his police mammal cap and led the shaking tabby cat out of the office and into the larger hallway. Where he quickly spun her around in place and looked at her with gentleness.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked concerned.

The jittery cat turned away from his gaze.

"N-no...God, I'm pathetic" she said.

"Hey now, it's okay, the big bad buffalo scares everyone. He's kept me awake many nights with the fear of seeing that glare in my dreams..."

His humorous comment brought a small smile to cat's face, but it didn't last long.

"It's not the Chief, it's just..." she began.

The cat sighed slowly and turned back to face Nick.

"I don't do crowds, never have. A couple of perps in the streets, no biggie. More than ten mammals at once...I'm useless" she muttered.

"So spending a night as a ZPD show pony in front of the most important people in the city gives you the heebie jeebies..." Nick concluded.

"Pathetic right?" said the cat nervously.

Nick shook his head sympathetically.

"Not at all. I wasn't always the handsome, smooth, ball of confidence you see before you. I too was once awkward, twitchy, and easily embarrassed like yourself..."he jabbed.

"No way! You mean the great Officer Wilde was actually a _noob_ once?" she teased back.

The fox raised an eyebrow at the cat in jest before walking away down to the elevators. The fact he was being so open with this strange, new officer was not lost on him in the slightest.

"Oh my dear sweet Kit Kat, ye have much to learn, I should tell you the story of the very first time I tried to sell something..."

Veranda softly giggled before following after Nick.

"Pay attention Kit Kat, as I've only told this story to Officer Toot toot and some close friends of mine before..."

As Nick regaled the tale of trying to sell fake Molex watches to a pack wildebeest's and failing spectacularly, the two officers slowly made their way over to the elevators that would take them down into the ZPD Motor Pool below the Precinct.

The more Nick spoke, the more Veranda seemed to unwind and calm down, a fact that pleased him more than he would ever care to admit. The same trick always seemed to work with Judy whenever the stress of the job wore down even her nerves of steel.

The words of the gruff pig bartender from last night slowly echoed inside his head.

 _So maybe this girl don't like you, maybe she does. That ain't the point, point is you need to reclaim what your heart got out of her. Your sense of meaning._

Nick mentally chewed the words over and over.

 _My sense of meaning..._

The pair of them were so wrapped up in their conversation they didn't notice the stack of papers and files step out of the elevator the exact moment they stepped forward.

 ** _WHAM!_**

The sound of three ringed binders landing on a hard floor echoed across the hallway. A cloud of scattered report papers billowed into the air. Once the metaphorical smoke had cleared, Nick found himself trying not to giggle at the tabby cat splattered on top of the geeky wolf clerk everyone around the station knew as Jerry.

"I'm terribly sorry!" the cat sputtered, scrambling off the wolf.

"N-no, it's quite alright, no damage done" Jerry said nicely, adjusting his glasses.

Bending down to help scoop up papers, Nick silently watched with glee at the two scrambling mammals in front of him.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so..." Veranda apologized over and over, grabbing papers left and right.

"Don't worry, it's quite al.." Jerry reassured, reaching for a binder.

Their eyes connected.

"...sorry"

"...right"

The whole hallway went as quiet as the grave. Both the wolf and cat were so firmly locked between gazes they didn't notice the stack of papers shoved into their faces by Nick.

"Here's your papers Jer" he offered happily.

"Oh, um, thank you Officer Wilde" Jerry said, taking the papers.

"Please Jerry, call me Nick. And this ball of awareness is Officer Veranda, on loan to us from Precinct Three"

Even as Nick patted Veranda's shoulder, her eyes were still focused on the equally transfixed wolf.

"Nice to meet your acquaintance" Jerry said with a smile.

"Y-yes! Nice to meet you!" she replied awkwardly

"Come on Kit Kat, our ride awaits" Nick said, edging the feline into the elevator.

"I'm still sorry!" she called out.

"It's still alright!" Jerry called back with a smile.

As the elevators door slid shut, Nick noticed the wolf's gaze was still lingering on Veranda. The black and gold furred cat to his side doing the same thing. A large smirk began to grow on Nick's face.

"Hmmm" he hummed

"You say something Wilde?" Veranda asked.

"Nothing Kit Kat. Nothing at all" he said with a smirk.

 _Oh yes, this will_ ** _definitely_** _be fun_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Again, thank you all so much for the favs, follows and reviews. The website is still not letting me see the reviews, but I AM reading them through the email alert. So again, thank you all so much!**

 **Not going to lie to you people, might not finish this by the 25th. Whole thing keeps getting longer, and I just can't swing the time. But it WILL be finished by New Years.**

* * *

Emerging from the elevator, Nick and Veranda quickly made their way into the Motor Pool. Passing dozens of vehicles along the way. Patrol cars, SWAT vehicles, prison transport vans, and even a traffic cart or two. The 'three wheeled joke mobile's as they were forever eternally known as by Nick. Many of them were still covered in fresh snow and filthy slush. Eventually, they came upon a pristine looking Patrol Cruiser with the identity of Z-240 displayed in bold lettering.

"Hey Kit Kat..."

Veranda turned just in time to haphazardly catch the airborne Cruiser keys. She shot a perplexed look at the fox officer who was clambering into the passenger seat.

"I thought senior Officers get to drive?..." she said.

"We do, but my head's pulsing and I'm still waking up. You get the first shift rookie" he explained.

The tabby cat smiled warmly and happily bounced into the driver's seat. Adjusting the seat and pedal layout just a little so it was more accommodating. In a few moments, Cruiser Z-240 was thrumbling down the packed streets of Savannah Central.

Despite the hustle and bustle of hundreds mammals out on holiday business in the street, nothing unusual seemed to catch the two Officer's eyes. So naturally, Nick quickly grew bored. And decided to poke a little fun at the defenseless feline at the wheel.

"You know I'm ashamed of you Kit Kat" he spoke suddenly.

Veranda looked at him as if she was just disowned by a parent.

"W-what?" she whimpered.

"Knocking over a poor, helpless clerk and not even offer an apology coffee. Tsk. Tsk."

"But I said I was sorry!"

"Sorries are a dime a dozen Kit Kat. Jerry's a delicate soul, good way to ruin his holiday spirit don't you think?"

The tabby cat glared at him before turning back to face the road.

"I know what you're trying to do Wilde."

"What am I doing?" he asked innocently

"I know how guys like you work. My brother is the same way"

"Just what are you insinuating Kit Kat? I haven't done anything wrong..." Nick said, placing a paw on his chest.

"Stop it" she threatened.

"I was just...merely...suggesting...the idea of you and Jer having a nice little sit down together. Maybe in a quiet poetry cafe, or an exotic bar in the Rainforest District. Perhaps you two could even enjoy roasting chestnuts in front of an open fire..." Nick suggested, his smile growing.

Veranda's paws gripped the steering wheel a little more tightly, her fur was bristling.

"He's not my type" she declared quickly.

Nick stared at her in disbelief, eyebrows raising. The cat's eyes may have been empty of emotion, but the swishing tail and pink tinted cheeks said otherwise.

"And just what is your type, Officer Veranda?"

"That is classified" she stated.

Nick tried not to snort.

"Really? Classified?" he said, failing to contain his mirth.

"Cats are very well known for their secrecy" she said defensively.

"Fine, suit yourself. There's no shame in it you know."

"Hmmm"

"I mean everyone has got their kink. Some like them slow and buff..."

"Ehhh..."

"Others go for slim and mysterious..."

"Maybe..."

"And some...like them a bit, howl and nerdy"

The Cruiser nearly jerked into oncoming traffic. Narrowly avoiding a pig driving a three wheel sedan. As the two vehicles passed, the pig could see a cackling fox and a tabby cat whose face was red as an apple.

* * *

The rest of the patrol was largely made in silence. After mortifying Veranda beyond words, Nick settled comfortably into his seat and lazily watched the world pass by. They spent the next hour or so circling the streets and back alleys but turned up empty. The two Officers never saying anything more than to give street directions or to call something to attention.

The entire time, Nick's mind slowly became fixated on violet eyes and long ears. Even as an Officer that was trusted beyond belief amongst his peers and the general public, his old mantra of 'Never Let Them See That They Get to You' still applied. On the outside he was the familiar, snarky Officer Wilde looking out for the City. But on the inside, he was crumbling.

It was taking a gargantuan effort to hold back the tears. Every time he looked to his left, he expected to see that eternally chipper bunny smiling back at him. With those damn, gem like eyes and her cute little pink nose.

 _Ready to make the world a better place?_

But she wasn't there. She ran away because he was stupid enough to break his golden rule. It was his fault, he drove her away. That look on her face was fear, pure fear.

And it kept breaking his heart.

He had nothing against Officer Veranda of course. She was definitely a fun sort. But she wasn't the one that belonged in that driver's seat. She wasn't the one that he had planned to serve dinner to on Christmas Eve. The one he wanted to cuddle with under a blanket and watch the snow fall. The one whose lips he dreamed of kissing every...

"Do you always do that?" Veranda asked out of the blue.

Nick blinked in surprise at the vagueness of the question. They were sitting at a red light intersection behind a long row of cars. Or at least, they hoped it was a red light. It was hard to tell with the giraffe carriage two cars spaces ahead. The windshield wipers were softly thumping away the light snow fall they were experiencing.

"Do what?" Nick replied without looking, hoping the tabby cat hadn't noticed the water forming in his eyes.

"Antagonize your Chief like that? I thought he was going to stomp you into the ground" she said.

Nick chuckled. He needed this distraction.

"He couldn't even if he tried. He loves me too much"

"I'll take your word for it" the cat said skeptically.

"Buffalo butt likes to think he's made of rock, but he's all soft and squishy on the inside. You should see him dan..."

 _"Dispatch to Officers Wilde and Veranda. Come in Wilde"_

The sound of Clawhauser's voice through the dash drew the attention of the two mammals. Nick reached for the radio's mic and tapped the switch with a thumb.

"Go ahead Clawhauser" Nick replied.

 _"Just got a call in for a 10-39, break in and possible theft at 576 New Ivy Lane. Old Brener's Toy Store."_

"Copy that dispatch, we'll check it out. Wilde out"

 _"Roger"_

The radio cackled as the signal went dead. Nick flicked on the roof lights as Veranda edged the Cruiser out of traffic and carefully through the intersection. Not even sixteen minutes later, the ZPD Cruiser had arrived along the curb of an old string of storefronts in a remote section of Savannah Central.

Nick's feet sloshed noisily in the roadside slush as he exited the vehicle. The plow trucks must've not have arrived yet, as it was impossible to tell where the edge was between the road and sidewalk under the new layer of snow that was still building.

Up ahead, standing alongside the building was a an older looking goat with square glasses. Clad in a brown tweed jacket with mossy green pants. His movements were slow and rigid but he turned to greet the Officers with a incredibly gentle smile.

"Morning to you Officers" he said with a wheezy voice.

"Hello sir, I'm ZPD Officer Wilde, this is Officer Veranda. We're here for the break in you called in this morning" Nick began.

The old goat nodded, he looked badly shaken.

"I did Officers, my name is Mr. Brener, this morning I heard some commotion downstairs in the shop, when I went down to check, there was no one there, and my shop had been ransacked."

He gestured with a hoof at the open store entrance. Nick craned his neck to peer through the open door to see the condition of the interior. It was hard to make anything out of the gloomy interior from the glare of the bright, white snow.

"Sir, mind if I take a look inside while Officer Veranda takes down your statement?"

"Of course Officer, please help yourself"

Nick moved off into the store as Veranda pulled out a pad of notebook paper and a black pen. For a brief moment, Nick thought it was going to be a carrot.

Now you're doing this to yourself champ...

"Can you give me the details of the event?" Veranda asked.

"Well I got up as I normally do at six-thirty, I live in the flat above the store, I don't open the shop till eight-thirty. I was sitting to read the paper when..."

Nick lost the goat's voice as he stepped over the threshold of the store. When his eyes had adjusted to the light inside, Nick hummed in admiration. The store was an old-fashioned turn of the century goods store that had been refitted to serve as an old-time children's toy store. Shelves upon shelves of old fashioned toys reached all the way to the ceiling.

Wooden toy blocks, cars, trains, actual jack in the boxes, old stuffed dolls of every mammal imaginable and so much more. There were even some old board games Nick was sure were popular during his grandparent's generation. The whole place was very nostalgic and perhaps a little heartwarming.

But the most glaring detail, was how ruined the entire scene was.

The floor was littered with scattered toys and tipped over containers. Much of the merchandise on the shelves had been violently pulled from their display spots and tossed to the ground.

 _Whoever did this, they were in a rush..._

Treading carefully as not to disturb the scene, Nick then made his way over to the old style rotary lever cash register on the main counter. The metal tray underneath was still filled with cash.

 _They weren't looking for money..._

As he moved away from the register, Nick's foot stepped on something small and soft. Reaching down to inspect it, he found with slight delight it was an old ballerina doll of a sheep in a blue tutu. His mother had one of these, he remembered finding it in a box of her old possessions in the attic of their old apartment when he was kid. Why his vixen of a mother had a toy of a sheep he never knew.

Setting the doll down on the counter top, Nick proceeded to head into the back room of the shop. The whole room was filled with cardboard boxes, old tools, and a workbench. But what caught his eye, was the fresh claw marks under the edge of the single window leading to an alley behind the store.

Measuring the marks against his own claws, he found the marks were made a mammal with claws that were a tad smaller than fox's. The window itself moved on a horizontal hinge, but was still open and shattered in a hundred pieces. Nick's eyes narrowed as he studied the frame and lock.

 _They snuck in through the unlocked window but shattered it on the way out they were in such a rush..._

Sticking his head out the window, he found whatever pawprints the suspect had left, were quickly fading away with the newly fallen snow. Nick couldn't help but frown a little.

 _Figures..._

Finding nothing else of value, Nick decided to head back and rejoin his partner with the store's owner. He had just exited the shop when he caught the tail end of their conversation.

"Do you any idea who could've done this?" Veranda asked, tapping her notepad with the pen.

"It was probably that wretched trash Obermeyer!" Brener said angrily.

"Obermeyer?" Veranda questioned.

"I heard that!"

The two Officers and goat looked toward the road to see a small, equally elderly amber eyed Aye-aye clomping through the deep snow in a pair of boots that were almost as big as he was. Nick's eyes drifted to the store behind the Aye aye's path to find the sign read, _Obermeyer Antiquities._

"What the hell did I do this time?! Every time something breaks in your joke of a store you immediately pin it on me!" complained the aye-aye.

"Well I'm not the one with the background to justify such accusations!" the goat shouted.

"I never took those toy houses and you damn well know it!"

The verbal brawl between the goat and aye-aye caused Nick to recoil a little in caution. He had witnessed far too many squabbles between extended family members to know it was unwise to stir the ire of your elders. Foxes being no exception.

But in spite of the bickering mammals, something else caught his attention.

Far away up the street, the group was being observed by a pair of brown eyes huddled in a corner. The mystery mammal quickly looked away the moment they found Nick looking right back.

 _Why hello there..._

"Gentleman, there is no need to argue!" Veranda placated.

The poor cat's attempts were in vain. For the two geezer mammal's were breaking out into a argument that could almost be considered to be on self-repeat.

"You've got this Kit Kat, I'm going to check something out..." Nick said retreating.

"Don't you leave me here!" she complained.

"All part of working in Precinct One right?" Nick jabbed.

Abandoning his partner to fend for herself, Nick scurried away up the street to find his new lead. He soon found it, half way frozen into the pavement. Slumped in the corner on a stoop, was a tall, black, male panther wrapped in a ratty coat. His jeans looked worn, and his bottom paws were scarred and had patches of fur missing. Next to the panther's hip was an equally looking ratty guitar case. The closer Nick drew near, the more the panther pretended he didn't exist.

"Hey there..." Nick began.

"I haven't done anything wrong Officer" the panther replied, withdrawing into his coat.

"Never said you did. I just wanted to ask you a few questions"

"I've got nothing to say to you" the panther said simply.

"Well that's a bit rude..." Nick huffed.

"Yes"

"Any reason for it?"

"Got any reason otherwise?"

Nick's eyes furrowed at the uncooperative panther. The poor mammal must've been freezing his hindquarters off yet his face was neutral and unmoving. _'Cool as a cucumber'_ Nick's mother would say. He decided to try a different tactic.

"You play?" Nick asked, gesturing to the guitar case.

The panther shrugged.

"A little" he replied a little more quietly.

"Any good?"

The panther slowly looked at Nick. And for the love of him, Nick couldn't describe his face as anything other than looking so hopelessly lost.

"Ever visit the Docile Degu bar downtown?"

"Lots of times" Nick stated.

He and Judy used to frequent the bar whenever they cracked a difficult case as a celebration. Nick would usually wear one of his favorite Pawaiian shirts while Judy would don a bold tanktop and slim, black leggings. She always looked so ravishing. He spent many nights carrying a giggling, drunk bunny bridal style in his arms on their way back home. It was his favorite bar for a time for that very reason.

However, they slowly lost interest in the place when the manager started catering to a different crowd with different tastes in music. Before hand, there used to be a kickin five piece band that always had a good mix of rock with a touch of swing and on some nights even jazz. They had this one song Judy always loved to dance too with Nick. It was called _'Tik Tok, Talk the Block'_...

"Ever heard a song called ' _Tik Tok, Talk the Block'_?"

Nick's lips parted a little in awe. The panther saw the look on the fox's face and answered his question before he even asked it.

"Manager of the joint hated my guts. Fired me when I cleaned his clock after he disrespected my band mates. Haven't worked since. No money, no place to sleep"

"Got a name?" Nick asked.

The panther's muzzle twitched from side to side.

"Lenni, Lenni with an "I"..."

"Well Lenni with an "I", I just wanted to know if you've seen anything strange around the toy store up the street. Any strange looking mammals in clown masks or anything?"

The panther looked away for a moment, but then focused back on Nick.

"Saw a weasel scurry in and out of the alley few hours ago. Ain't a local. Never seen him around before"

"Any idea to his fur color?"

"It was definitely dark. Black maybe, dark brown at least."

"Well thanks a lot Lenni with an "I", you've been an wonderful help"

"Take care Officer" the panther said politely.

Nick tipped his hat at the panther before making his way back down the street to the store. With each step he made, a nervous tingle began to brew inside his stomach. Eventually he stopped halfway.

There was a violet eyed rabbit inside his head again...

-  
 _One and a half years ago..._

"You see him?" Judy asked.

"I see him" Nick replied.

The Cruiser creaked to a halt as Judy stomped on the brakes. Their target mammal had just disappeared through an unoccupied construction site, carrying his backpack of unsavory merchandise in full view. The two Officers slid out of their Cruiser quietly and proceeded to follow the suspect on foot.

Taking cover behind a stack of lumber, they watched with bated breath as the target, a coyote, began making a deal with a tiger. With fingers on the triggers of their tranq guns, they waited till the moment the money and merchandise was visible when they sprang into action.

"Freeze! ZPD!" Judy shouted.

"Paws above your head!" Nick added.

The coyote and tiger looked fearfully at the cops before the expected happen. The coyote shoved the tiger to the ground, grabbed the money and backpack, and sprinted away.

"STOP!" Judy commanded.

Leaving Nick to book the tiger, Judy pursued the coyote at full tilt up several blocks until the chase came to a shuddering halt. Just as Judy was gaining ground, the coyote decided to break through a side alley.

The same moment a homeless donkey appeared around the same corner pushing a grocery cart filled with junk.

There was a tremendous crash.

The coyote did a full front flip as his legs collided with the cart. Tossing the backpack and stack of cash high into the air. Giving Judy the chance she needed to pin the coyote to the ground and cuff him behind his back. As she was reading his rights, she noticed the homeless donkey kneeling on the ground fruitlessly picking up the several dozen shattered glass bottles from his overturned cart. The adrenaline buzz from her arrest dwindled at the sight.

Handing the coyote over to Nick who just arrived with the Cruiser, Judy returned to the bum donkey and handed him a clump of cash from her back pocket.

"I know it's not much, but at least it's more than what those bottles were worth" she said sweetly.

The donkey looked at her in surprised before cupping her paw gently with both hooves.

"Bless you Officer" said the donkey gratefully.

Judy gave the donkey a warm smile and a soft pat to his hoof before turning to greet Nick as he stuffed the coyote alongside the tiger in the back of the Cruiser. The entire time, he was beaming proudly at her. He knew there was a chance the donkey would just blow the money on booze or instant lottery tickets, but that didn't matter.

It was the principle that counted.

 _She always wants to help, no matter the mammal..._

The memory of Judy and the donkey turned his stomach inside out. The queasy feeling reminding him of half drunk scotch bottles and gruff bartender advice.

 _My sense of meaning..._

Inhaling slowly but calmly, Nick stood up taller, adjusted his hat, and began to march back toward the frozen panther.

"Hey Lenni, come here a second..."

* * *

"Gentleman please, no one is accusing anybody. Not until we have all of our facts straight!"

"Facts?! Only fact you need is that this criminal of a goat is standing right in front of you!" the Aye-aye screeched.

"Then perhaps you need to have your eyes checked Obermeyer, then you could see how far your head is shoved up your rear!" Brener retorted.

"I said that's enough!" the cat shouted.

"Wow, so the cat does have claws" came a smug voice.

" _Wilde_..."she began angrily.

"Easy Kit Kat, no need to shoot the messenger here..." Nick said light heartedly.

Veranda turned round to find the fox being followed by a tall black panther with a worn looking guitar case. She was about to speak but the goat beat her to the punch.

"Lenni? Is that you?!" Brener exclaimed in alarm, not believing his eyes.

"Hello Mr. Brener" the panther said with a polite bow.

"I haven't seen you in seven years! You look just like your father now..."

As the panther and goat seemed to catch up, Veranda discreetly leaned toward Nick to whisper into his ear.

"Who is this?" Veranda she asked quietly.

"This is Lenni, he's our key witness" he said out loud.

"Key witness?!" the small group exclaimed in unison.

The tall panther nodded slowly with his neutral face.

"Whoa, stereo effect. YES, key witness." Nick explained. "Lenni here says he saw a weasel crawl out the back window this morning, the same one I found shattered to pieces"

"That's a load of bull!..." Obermeyer screamed. His outburst causing Nick to flinch back a little in surprise, his nose twitching furiously.

"...Are you seriously going to believe this alley cat trash?! He's probably in on it! I've seen him stumbling around this neighborhood at night, casing shops for his friends to hit"

"You shut your trap!" Brener snapped. "I've known Lenni since he was a kitten, used to clean my shop when he was in high school!"

"Then he knows exactly how to get in!" Obermeyer argued back.

"He would never stoop to petty theft!" the goat hollered wheezily.

Once again, the two geezers were soon going at each other again in a slowly escalating shouting match. It was clear this rivalry had been going on for years, decades possibly. Nick found the event hysterical, but Veranda's temper was easily boiling over.

"ENOUGH!" she bellowed. 

* * *

"Thank you Officers, have a nice holiday" Brener said meaningfully.

"You too sir, we'll keep in touch with any updates" Veranda assured him.

With another wave, Veranda departed from the toy store to head for the Patrol Cruiser, where Nick and Lenni were patiently waiting. The rest of the interview between the store had progressed alot more smoothly after striking the fear of God into them by the fury of enraged tabby cat.

"So, Mr. Lenni..." Veranda began skeptically.

"Just Lenni" the panther corrected

"With an "I"..." Nick added with a smirk.

"You really saw a weasel crawl out the back of the store?"

Lenni nodded slowly again.

"Come on Kit Kat, let's not pester the poor devil till he's had something to eat. Have about breakfast? My treat?"  
Veranda placed a thumb to her chin and hummed a little in thought. Lenni on the other hand, looked at Nick with eagerness etched all over his face.

"I suppose we can take five..." Veranda mused.

"Excellent! Thing is though...I forgot my _wallet_ "

* * *

"I don't know what to make of it, what do you think Wilde?" the tabby cat inquired.

A mountain of sugar accidentally slipped from the dispenser and straight into Nick's coffee the exact moment the question was asked. He grumbled a little as he reached for the spoon.

"About what?" he asked, stirring his now too sweet coffee.

The three mammals had arrived at a roadside diner several blocks away from the toy store. The interior was painted in a grass green motif with pink and cream yellow seats. Nearly every booth was filled with mammals decked out in winter coats and gloves happily enjoying their meals and small talk. O Holy Night was being played on the radio as sung by the ever angelic Gazelle.

Veranda leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table with a frown, picking at her three-quarters finished omelette in thought.

"About that break in..." she said.

"Sum-von boke in vivout askin and fran off, whut's not too met?"

This came from Lenni, speaking through a full mouth. He was sitting next to Nick across the table from Veranda and busy devouring his third helping of strawberry pancakes, his guitar case tucked under the table. It was amazing the panther could breathe at the rate he was inhaling his rolled her eyes and gave the sloppy panther a look.

"There's more to it then that Paws McCartney, what's the motive? What did they even take?"

"Nothing from what I could make out" Nick replied stirring his coffee. "Despite the mess, everything seemed accounted for"

There was a loud sound of gulping as Lenni drained his fifth glass of orange juice.

"Botched robbery maybe?" Veranda commented.

Nick shook his head.

"They were in and out before Brener could even get down the steps fast enough. He probably couldn't have done much good either at his age"

"Mr. Brener never cared for exchanging fists" Lenni added.

"I think he'd make an exception for Mr. Obermeyer" Nick joked.

Veranda leaned back in her seat with a huff. Her arms crossed and eyes furrowed.

"Ok, so here's what I don't get, if I was a burglar, looking for a nice little hit, why a toy store? An old toy store? Especially when there is perfectly good electronics store down the block..."

Her words were lost on the panther busy drowning his meal with a second bottle of syrup. Causing Veranda to cringe a little at the sight.

"Nick, any input?" she asked the fox.

"Rawr! AH'M A TIGER!"

The two felines at the table stopped what they were doing to stare at the fox in bewilderment. He had two forks jutting from the front corners of his mouth, claws fully extended in an attack stance, and a goofy snarl on his face complete with a cross eyed look.

The little comedy act earned him a chuckle from Lenni, an eyeroll from a passing waitress, and a bored expression from Veranda.

"I'm starting to think Officer Hopps took time off to get away from _you_ and not the Precinct..." Veranda deadpanned

Nick gave the tabby cat a scowl before spitting out the silverware and wiping his muzzle with a napkin. His own plate of waffles having being cleaned several minutes prior.

"...To answer your question, I don't know. But I'm pretty confident Mr. Obermeyer had nothing to do with this. At least this time if any of them are to be believed." Nick explained.

"Really?"

Nick tapped his nose twice and grinned.

"Definitely. Obermeyer was practically drowning in fur care cream, wasn't quite fresh either. He had to have applied it an hour or two before the break in. And there wasn't a trace of the smell anywhere in the store"

"The one thing I envy canines about..." Veranda sighed.

"Come on Veranda, be honest, that's not the _only_ thing you desire from a canine..." Nick snarked. "Or should I ask Jerry's opinion?"

A glob pancakes was in danger of falling onto the table when Lenni's jaw went slack from shock. If it was possible to self combust from embarrassment, Veranda came awfully close.

* * *

A chill danced up Nick's spine as the two Officers and panther finally exited the warm diner. Bellies full, coats buttoned, and police mammal hat's adjusted just so. The snow fall had almost ceased and the Sun was beginning to break through the milky, gray clouds. Veranda yawned loudly as she slowly stretched her arms above her head.

"Oh! I'm ready for a nap..." she said dreamily.

"I guess this is goodbye Mr. Wilde, thank you for breakfast. I hope you find that weasel" the panther said with an almost saddened tone.

"Call me Nick big guy, don't worry we'll catch the slippery devil soon enough. But here, take this..."

Lenni looked down to find a small card gripped between Nick's fingers. Upon taking the card, he found it was phone card for a music theater in a plush corner of Sahara Square.

"The manager's an old...uh, business associate of mine. I already sent him a text. He's expecting you" Nick said with a smile. "All the talent scouts like to hit up his place. Just work your magic tonight at his show, and you'll be in a new apartment by New Years. Consider it a Christmas gift"

The panther said nothing. Instead, he scooped Nick up with his powerful arms in what was surely a death hug.

"Ack! Too tight! Too tight!" Nick gasped in agony.

"Awww..." Veranda cooed, enjoying the sight of Nick's discomfort.

Before Nick's spine could be compressed any further, the moment was quickly ruined by the simultaneous crackle of static from his and Veranda's radio pieces.

 _"All units, attention all units! We have reports of a 10-67. Apartment Fire at the corner of Acres Street and Pillbock Avenue. Fire service is enroute. Building confirmed occupied. All units please respond."_

Nick and Veranda both exchanged a startled look. The address was almost within walking distance from where they were. Prying himself free the panther's lethal embrace, Nick quickly booked it to the parking lot with Veranda right on his tail.

"Sorry Lenni, duty calls!" Nick called behind him.

"I understand, good luck Mr. Wilde!" Lenni shouted with an enthusiastic wave.

"And you better be at that theater tonight!"

Lenni shouted something back but Nick didn't hear it. Instead, all he could hear was the frantic voice of his temporary partner as they neared the Cruiser.

"Acres street is twelve blocks from here but it'll be gridlocked the whole way!" Veranda stated.

"Hand me the keys, I know a shortcut!"

The keys were quickly tossed, seat belts were buckled, and engine swiftly ignited. With a flurry of flashing lights and wailing police siren, the Cruiser launched itself out of the parking lot and towards the brewing catastrophe.

 **A/N: For all of you who are wondering where our favorite police bunny is...all I have to say is...SOON.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: HA! Finally updated! Job was killer...The website seems to work now so hopefully I can start responding to the reviews.**

 **Also one guest commenter suggested I use page breaks between scenes...which I thought I added...apparently not. Whoopsie!**

 **So hopefully that's all sorted for this chapter at least. I'll go back and fix the others later. Updates might be a little more slowly now...I'm running out of pre-made chapters...:(**

* * *

The raging inferno that was formerly an apartment complex was soon escalating out of hand. Pillars of smoke were pouring from the windows of the bottom floor. Thick bursts of crimson and yellow flames could be seen churning and swirling inside. The fire was in it's infancy, but it was growing up fast.

A crowd of onlookers had already begun to form along the street. Eyes wide and mouth's open at the horrific spectacle. The scene was then interrupted by the arrival of a ZPD Cruiser with flashing lights and a squeal of tires.

Stepping out of the Cruiser, Nick and Veranda found to their dismay they had beaten the fire crew. They wasted no time in marshaling off the area and pushing the onlookers back. The fire crews needed the space so they can...

The sound of a high pitched scream could be heard from inside, causing everyone present to stare at the inferno in fear. Pure, unfiltered dread began to fill Nick's chest as he watched helplessly from the street. His police department policy book was being recited in his head.

 _Keep the public away from the flames. Clear the area for fire crews. Never enter the building on your own._

Simple protocol. Meant to keep Officers safe from the fire hazard itself. But it was hard to keep telling himself that. Especially when it was clear there were people still inside. The urge to spring into action was daunting.

A second scream from above however, more bone chilling than the first, made the decision for him.

 _It's what a dumb bunny would do_

"How long until the fire crew arrives Wilde?...Wilde?...Wilde!"

She couldn't believe her eyes. Officer Wilde was sprinting up the walk way toward the entrance. Veranda's shouts fell on deaf ears as Nick tossed away his police mammal hat and leaped through the open door of the apartment complex. His fiery tail vanishing into a cloud of smoke.

Instantly, his body hated him for it. The world went from bone chilling cold to scalding hot in a snap. His nose scrunching up from the foul stench of the burning building, his lungs roasting from the heat and smoke, causing him to gag and sputter. FIghting through the growing tears in his eyes, he pushed himself forward and headed for the lone staircase ahead as the first floor was nothing but an empty lobby.

Taking the stairs two steps at a time, he nearly collided with a wide eyed antelope already on his way down. NIck didn't even give the antelope a second to respond and instead hurriedly ordered him out of the building by pointing down the stairwell.

"Don't talk! Just go!"

Arriving on the second floor, he was nearly greeted with a stampede of panicking mammals all scrambling to get out. Dogs, reindeer, hedgehogs, weasels, skunks, and even a bat were all quickly directed down the stairs by the mysteriously appearing police officer.

Sadly, Nick's fear only increased when he noticed several apartment doors were still shut. Not knowing if they were occupied, he began banging on doors and shouting to open up under orders from the ZPD. Some, unfortunately, were still occupied. Which always began a quick shouting match between Nick and the startled mammals as he ushered them down the hallway to the stairs. While others required Nick to break the door down and do a quick search. Thankfully, those kept turning up empty.

Moving on up to the third floor, the process began all over again. Banging on doors, ordering mammals out of the building, and even breaking into an apartment or two. As he made his way down the hall, a small family of four squirrels were furiously trying to cart several overflowing bags of luggage out of their apartment, undoubtedly loaded with personal belongings.

"ZPD! Forget the bags! Take your children and go!" he snapped. "I said NOW!"

The squirrels tried to protest but quickly succumbed to Nick's orders. Grabbing the two wailing kids, the adult squirrels dove for the staircase and didn't look back. Finally, there was only one room left. Knocking hard enough to break his fingers, Nick was greeted at the door by an ancient mole lady wearing a white bath robe, large glasses, and carrying a walking cane.

"Hello?" she asked quietly, adjusting her glasses.

"Ma'am you need to-"

"Why Kevin, it's so good to see you! Why didn't you tell me you were visiting? I never get to see my grandson anymore..." she said tenderly.

"Uh, yes it' me Grandma, look you need to-OOOWWW!"

A sharp pain blistered across the top of Nick's skull as the mole's cane came down on his head with enough force to sever a tree.

"I hate it when you call me Grandma! You make me feel old!"

Ignoring the lump forming on his head and the urge to commit murder, Nick grabbed the mole by the arm and began shoving her towards the stairs.

"Ma'am, that counts as assaulting a police officer, but since it's Christmas, and we're in a burnig building, I'll let it slide if-"

 _THWACK!_

"AAAAGHH!" Nick shouted in pain.

"You lousy, good for nothing grandson! You know I hate Christmas!"

"Lady, so do I!" Nick snapped, pushing the mole down the hall.

* * *

Back outside, Veranda was trying not to lose it. She was standing by the entrance greeting the fleeing apartment mammals and checking to see if any of them were injured. But as more and more of them appeared, the distinct absence of a red fox made her worry even more. The fire was beginning to creep it's way up to the third floor now, and the idea of losing a partner during the holiday season was too terrifying to consider.

She didn't have to worry long. Warm, sweet relief washed over her as the sound of an arriving fire engine met her ears. As the large firefighters in their special bunker gear disembarked the vehicle, Veranda grabbed her radio device off her belt to try to call Nick.

"Veranda to Wilde, the fire crews are here, I repeat, fire crews are here. You need to exit the building now! They can take it from here"

The radio was silent for several moments.

"I'm coming! Gimmie a minute!" was the frantic reply.

"Not a minute Wilde, NOW! The fire is spreading to the upper floors!...Wilde?"

But the line had gone dead, leaving Veranda to stomp her foot in irritation. Like a well oiled machine, the fire fighters on the street were quickly attaching fire hoses to hydrants, discussing the layout of the building, and organizing the rescue team. A noise from beyond the door grabbed Veranda's attention as she found an elderly mole lady personally being escorted out of the building by Nick.

"Watch her, this bundle of joy likes to hit" Nick stated frankly.

"Oh, are you Kevin's ladyfriend?" the mole asked the cat nicely.

"Uhhhh.." Veranda began.

"Don't answer that question!" Nick said with horror in his eyes.

Leaving the rescue firefighter team to drag away the mole and remaining apartment tenats, Veranda turned to berate her partner. Only to find herself staring in confusion as Nick then began to unbuckle his utility belt containing his radio, tranq gun, and other gear. Tossing said belt in her direction where she awkwardly caught it. He then removed his badge and placed it on top of the belt in Veranda's arms.

"What are you doing?!" she asked.

"It's getting hot in there..." Nick began.

"No, really?!" she snapped.

"Any longer in there, and my gear begins to melt and fuse to my skin. And I'd rather avoid that embarrassing Christmas story..."

"How about the one where you burn to death?!"

The slightly soot covered fox shot her a smug grin, complete with half lidded eyes.

"That one's _much_ more entertaining" he quipped.

Leaving Veranda to pick her jaw off the ground, Nick then spun around to head back inside. Much to the shock of the tabby cat and assembled firefighters.

"Where you going now?!" she yelled.

"There's still one more floor!" the fox called back.

"Wilde! Get back here! Let the firefighters do it!" she argued.

But the fox had already disappeared. Leaving a seething tabby cat in his wake. At this point Chief Bogo would have to get in line to punish the fox...

She was going to do it _herself...first_

The sound of heated arguing from behind caused Veranda to look over her shoulder to find a black bear firefighter trying to hold back a frantic male, opossum. The opossum was wearing a tan business suit and white undershirt, something Veranda would expect a real estate salesmammal to wear.

"It's not safe!" the firefighter argued.

"Out of my way! OUT OF MY WAY!" the opossum screamed.

Just as the opossum broke free of the bear's grasp, he was stopped in his tracks by an enraged looking tabby cat.

"Sir I need you to stay back!" Veranda ordered, shoving the desperate opossum back by his shoulders.

"I can't, get out of my way!" he cried.

"Sir you need to calm down! The firefighters are here and-"

"My kids are in there!"

Veranda's eyes nearly went as large as the moon, her heart nearly coming to a full stop. She looked back at the burning building. Wilde had left his radio with her, there was no way she could inform him about the missing family. Opossum children were small, ridiculously small. Almost as small as mice if young enough. So small it would be far too easy to walk right past them in a smoke filled room and never know they were there.

"Sir, what floor?!" Veranda shouted at the panicking father.

"I..." he started.

"WHAT FLOOR?!"

"Fourth!The top!" he screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Wasting no time, Veranda shoved Nick's gear and his badge into the arms of a very confused firefighter bear before dashing toward the entrance herself. Neither of them noticing the buzzing coming from Nick's phone in one of the pouches.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the firefighter shouted from behind.

"Sorry!" she cried.

The closer she got to the door, the more alarm bells she heard in her head. Her survival instincts as well as her police training were screaming at her to stay away and assist the firefighters, not do their job. But she didn't hear any of that, focusing instead on only one thought...

 _I'm so fired! I'm so fired! I'm so fired!_

* * *

Nick had just finished breaking the down the second to last apartment door when his lungs began to fail. Bending over at the knees, he began to hack his lungs out in a useless attempt to clear the ash out of his throat. By some miracle, the fourth floor had been completely deserted so far.

The smoke density was increasing. Flames were beginning to dance across the walls and ceiling of the top floor the moment he arrived. Checking the apartment as quickly and thoroughly as he could, he confirmed it was empty and was just about to leave when he ran into his partner.

"What are you...* _cough_ *...doing here?!" he shouted.

The tabby cat coughed and wheezed with each word she spoke.

"Kids...* _huff_ *...Opossums...* _huff_ *..top floor!"

The dread in Nick's chest only grew. He knew what she meant.

"Come on!"

Grasping his partner by the shoulder, the two Officers bravely forged a path through the nearly solid smoke to the last room at the end of the hall. Smashing the door down with one good kick, the fox and cat discovered a scene that could almost be described as comedic under different circumstances.

Five opossum children were laying on the floor motionless. Eyes dead, tongues splayed out of their mouths. The other four were running in circles screaming as hard as they could. The group seemed to be half male, half female equally. Veranda's heart slowly started to break from the reality of the situation until Nick nudged her arm.

"Their opossums, they do that naturally!" Nick explained.

A light bulb clicked in the cat's mind. Memories of her high school zoology class reminding her of the opossum's defense reflex to play dead. The action was almost completely subconscious. They couldn't help it sometimes.

They immediately started in rounding up the circling opossums and their limp siblings. Nick carrying the five youngest who were all no more bigger than a coffee cup; While Veranda grabbed the two oldest, both slightly smaller than a basketball. One of the still conscious little boys decided he didn't like Nick one bit. So he sunk his tiny, razor sharp teeth into the flesh of Nick's finger.

"OW! Why you little-!"

"I think that's all of them!" Veranda shouted.

"Let's get out of here!" Nick griped, one eye clenched from the pain.

* * *

Outside, long streams of water were unleashed upon the flames as the firefighters began to fight the blaze. Two amublances had arrived and were already treating the mammals from the apartment. No one had seen hide nor hair of the two Officers.

"Hey look!" cried a spectator.

The gang of firefighters and crowd of onlookers all turned and gaped in wonder. Emerging from the smoke, looking as if they belonged in a coal mine, were the two police officers with several opossum children in their grasp.

The firefighters quickly descended on them. Taking the children and winded officers over to the ambulances for evaluation and oxygen treatment. A bawling opossum father amongst them.

"Oh thank you officers! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"No...* _cough!_ *...biggie...just got...* _cough_ *...lucky..." Veranda said with a bad wheeze.

Nick was coughing so badly he could only give a shaky thumbs up. Tiny trails of smoke could be seen rising from several spots in their fur. They really had begun to catch fire, the very tip of Nick's tail was completely ruined.

"Yeah..* _cough!_ *...lucky us..." Nick said weakly.

But they weren't totally lucky. Fate still had one more hammer to drop.

"Where's Mary?! Does any of you have Mary with them?!"

The two officers looked up to see the opossum father desperately checking amongst his children in the ambulance.

"Sir, is something wrong?" a firefighter asked.

"I have nine kids!" he screamed.

Nick's eyes bulged.

 _Oh son of a..._

Time seemed to have stopped as Nick mentally counted the little opossum children were only eight opposums. Not nine.

"Oh God..." Veranda murmured.

"I'll be back!" Nick called, breaking into a wheezy run once more. He was so fast none of the firefighters could grab him.

"Right behind you!" said the cat shakily.

Veranda tried to follow but was grabbed from behind by an elk firefighter.

"Don't, it's too dangerous!" he argued.

"No! Let me go! Nick!" she hollered. "You can't go in alone!"

But he was already gone. Ignoring the warnings the firefighters were screaming.

He didn't listen. Even if they were Bogo, he wouldn't have listened. Even if they were Judy with her gorgeous violet eyes, he wouldn't have listened.

He didn't know why he was doing it. Sure, there was an innocent life on the line, and he swore an oath as an Officer he would always serve & protect the city and it's inhabitants to the best of his abilities. But there was more to it than that. Something important.

All he knew, was that there was something else in that building other than a trapped child.

* * *

By the time he reached the third floor, he was close to collapsing from exhaustion. The fire was too much. At this point, the first and second floors had nearly become impassable the flames were so thick. But he didn't stop.

Running back into the apartment on the top floor, he urgently called out her name.

"Mary!..* _cough!cough!_ *...MARY!"

Then he heard it...it was so small...so easy to miss...but he _heard_ it

The sound of crying.

It was coming from the far corner, somewhere behind the sofa. Dashing toward the piece of furniture, Nick shoved with all his strength to move the sofa out of the way and claim his prize. Huddled into a literal ball, her pink bow and tiny dress covered in soot, was a little opossum girl trembling in pure terror.

She was probably no more than three years old. She could use his phone as a bed she was so tiny.

"It's okay little one, I'm going to get you out of here." Nick said carefully, getting down on his knees.

"I want my daddy!" she cried.

"It's okay sweetie, I've got you..."

Nick slowly tried to reach for her, but the little marsupial shuddered and pressed herself furt her against the wall. She had no pupils to speak of, but she didn't need them to show how terrified she was.

"No! Go away!" she screamed as high as she could.

Nick swore to himself. He had run in and out of a burning building several times now, disrobing half of his uniform in the process. Whatever part of his fur that wasn't burnt, had turned as black as night with soot. He must've looked frightful. A green eyed monster from a nightmare.

"Mary..." Nick soothed as warmly as he could. "it's okay sweetie, I'm not going to hurt you"

She carefully looked up at him, entranced by his warm, emerald eyes.

"I promise, everything is going to be alright...trust me" he said with a smile. "I'm going to take you back to your daddy...he's waiting for us"

Mary sniffled one more time before scooting closer to the fox. Nick didn't say anything more, he just sat there smiling warmly at her.

Her little paw reached out to grab his finger...and he had her.

She was safe in his grasp.

Darting out of the apartment without a second to lose, Nick skidded back into the hallway just as something began to crack from above. With a tremendous crash and an insane amount of heat discharge, a portion of the ceiling collapsed straight to the floor. Right where Nick was standing just a moment earlier.

Amongst the roar of the flames, the sound of creaking wood was beginning to come from every corner of the building. The fire had eaten it's way through the rooms and was now feasting on the support structure itself.

Nick damn near leaped his way down the stairs from the fourth floor to the third. Then the third to second. Finally, the homestretch. From the second to the...

 _No..._

The final flight of stairs was blocked. A large pile of burning support beams was resting squarely upon the steps. There was not enough space to squeeze past, and it was much too risky to jump. He thought of heading for a fire escape through a window, but the hallway was too far gone to traverse. And he didn't dare to head back up for the same reason. He briefly looked down at the quivering mammal resting in his hands and his heart sank.

 _Mary, I'm sorry..._

It was over. He had lost. The two of them were going to perish in the blaze and there was nothing he could do. He began to worry about his mother, how she would react to the news. He thought about Finnick, his friends and co workers at the Precinct, but mostly, he thought of Judy.

 _Oh God...Judy...I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry...I really was a dumb fox...I'm sorry I rui...WAIT..._

He didn't believe his eyes.

Down at the end of the hall was a lone window. A window where the open sky was clearly visible. He scarcely dare to breathe. Rushing on over, he was delighted to find a large, plump pile of snow between the edge of the building and the road. He could even make out the tiny forms of Veranda and the fire fighters down in the street. Then it occurred to him.

 _I'm gonna let go!_

The sound of Judy's voice echoed inside his head like a bell in a church tower.

He remembered that moment. The warm rain, the two of them dangling above an eternal abyss from a tree vine, and the determined tone in Judy's voice. It was crazy, suicidal, outside of all rational thinking. And it worked.

She saved his life, despite the insane amount of risk. Against all odds the cute little bunny cop saved the big bad predator fox from an even larger predator. He never forgot that.

He knew what he had to do.

Cupping the little opossum closer to his chest so no part of her body was exposed, he steeled his nerves, and broke into a sprint straight for the window. Easily the most insane stunt he had ever performed in his life.

The next thing he knew, he was flying high in the sky, the Sun was shining on his face, and he was floating through a cloud of broken glass.

* * *

The newscaster's voice on the television was barely audible over the racket caused by the hundreds of screaming and giggling rabbit kits of the burrow. Hundreds of them were scampering about. Playing games, throwing up decorations, taking decorations down and insisting they go there...

Two rabbits however, were perfectly stationary. Resting in a large lazy chair was the oldest living member of the Hopps lineage, Otto "Pop pop" Hopps. And sitting in his lap, looking as if she was the pinnacle of good behavior, was a little blonde furred rabbit kit known as Cotton Hopps. They were both watching the late afternoon news report on ZNN. Where the topic of the moment was a recent fire in Zootopia.

The headline reading...

 _Miracle Cops Evacuate Burning Apartment_

As the moose news anchor followed up the snow leopard's commentary, a series of images scrolled across the screen detailing the story of the ordeal. The burning building; mammals pouring out of the entrance in fright; a cat officer carrying out an entire family of baby possums in her arms, and even firefighters struggling to contain the blaze. There was even footage of a fox diving out a second floor and landing hard in a snow drift with another baby opossum safe in his grasp.

The final image showed the reunited, happily sobbing opossum family alongside the two officers being chewed out by a large water buffalo, whose shouting was powerful enough to blow back the ash filled fur on their faces.

"Those cops are hero's Pop pop!" the little kit exclaimed.

"Bunch of hooey, that cop's a fox. You can't trust a fox, don't matter if he got a badge or not."

"But he went inside to save them!" Cotton argued.

The old rabbit scoffed and rolled his eyes, his square glasses making his pupils appear larger than they were.

"That fox would sooner eat those opossum's babies than risk the fur on his hide for them. A bunch of red furred criminals they are!"

"But I thought Aunt Judy's police partner was a fox?" the kit asked with a tilt of her head.

"Not by choice I reckon!" the elder rabbit scoffed.

"Pop pop that's enough!"

The two rabbits in the chair turned to find the matriarch of the burrow standing in the doorway of the main hall that led to the kitchen. She was wearing a light pink dress with a food stained apron. A wooden stirring spoon was grasped tightly in the paw resting against her hip.

"How many times do I have to tell you? We will not tolerate anymore bad mouthing of foxes in this burrow!" Bonnie Hopps scolded.

The elder buck simply grumbled and crossed his arms, much to the amusement of the giggling kit on his lap.

"Cotton sweetie, why don't you go help your mother hang up the stockings in the living room?"

"Okay Grandma!"

The little kit happily bounced out of the chair and cheerfully skipped down the hall. Leaving Bonnie to address the still grumbling Pop pop.

"And you old buck, it's time for you to take your medicine..." she declared.

"To hell with my medicine!" Pop pop declared shaking his fist.

The senior rabbit flinched a little at the raised wooden spoon held threateningly above his head. Malicious intent etched all over Bonnie's face. Grumbling in defeat, Pop pop hopped out the chair and vanished into the Burrow. Passing by a wobbling, walking, stack of boxes filled with decorations being carried by a brown adult rabbit.

"Did someone call for me?" came a voice from behind the stack.

"No Stu, I was just telling Pop pop to take his medicine" Bonnie replied.

"That makes sense, ornery devil gets worse every season..."

He didn't see it coming. But Bonnie did. The rug in the middle of the TV room had one corner scruffed up from scampering kittens. The rabbit carrying the stack was heading right for it.

"Stu, watch it!"

"WHOOOAAAA!"

Bonnie covered her ears as the entire stack tumbled to the ground like an avalanche. Boxes of tinsel, tree bulbs, ribbons, and candles bursted open from the seams. Spilling their contents everywhere.

Poking his head from underneath the messy pile was the alleged man of the household, Stuart Hopps. Dressed in a ridiculous green sweater with snowflakes and carrots on the front. His usual green farmer's hat had been replaced with a Santa Paws hat wedged between his ears.

"Oh Stu, could you be any more clumsy?" Bonnie sighed.

Rising from the pile of decorations, Stu nervously dusted himself off briefly before facing his wife.

"Sorry sugar plum, I swear those stacks get taller every year."

"Why didn't get someone to help you with those?"

"I tried but everyone else has got their own chores to deal with. Lily and her group is out shoveling snow, Derrick is out checking the antifreeze in the tractors in the barn, Judy is helping you out in the kitchen..."

"Stu, about Judy..." Bonnie tried to interject.

Her words went unnoticed as the brown, rabbit buck continued..

"Which is odd to say the least, Judy has never been keen on cooking for others, yet she's carrying on as if she done it for years. Where do you think she learned all those recipes? I know we didn't teach her those..."

" _Stuart_ " she said a little more loudly.

That got him to stop talking. It was rare for him to be called on a first name basis with his wife, and it was rarely ever a good thing. Bonnie let out a tired breath and tried to hide the fact of how scared she really was.

"I'm worried about Judy" she said fearfully.

Stu looked deep into her eyes and sighed as well. His wife wasn't the only one who noticed their daughters behavior.

"I am too" he said sadly.

Bonnie gripped the wooden spoon with both paws. Twisting it in her grasp with worry.

"She hasn't been herself since she came home" she continued. "I've never seen her so glum"

"Has she given any clue as to why?" Stu replied, picking up some of the boxes.

"No, I even tried to call Nicholas to see if he had any idea, but all I got was his voice mail"

"He's probably wrapped up with work. Can't imagine being a cop is relaxing during Christmas" Stu mused, placing a paw under his chin.

"I thought Judy was going to bring Nick along with her for the holidays, she seemed very excited about it" Bonnie added.

"I thought so too, has she said why he didn't come?"

"No, you know I can't get more than two sentence's out of her! I'm worried Stu..."

Stu gently placed a paw on his wife's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I'll have a talk with her..."

* * *

In spite of the soft landing, snow can still be surprisingly thick. Nick's back was still tingling from the impact. But he had made it out with a few cuts on his arm and shoulder from where he struck the window. Critically, the opossum girl was found without a single scratch once they pulled the two of them out of the snow drift.

Chief Bogo was steadily pacing back and forth in front of them. His face literally fused into a snarl. Neither Nick nor Veranda dared to speak. Opting instead to behave like the good little cop they wished to be and sat quietly on the rear of an ambulance and awaited their imminent demise. Eventually, Veranda gathered enough courage to whisper into Nick's ear.

"How dead are we?" she asked.

"That depends, got any extra lives left? You might need a few..."

"And so _will_ you..." Bogo sneered.

A small squeak came from the fox as he recoiled in terror. The fuming buffalo was so livid it was a wonder the snow didn't melt around him.

"Just once, that's all I ask...just..once..." Bogo began rambling. "Just one smooth, clean, safe day. No hassling calls from the mayor, no nagging accountants, no misbehaving officers who break protocol..."

Veranda shot an accusatory glance at Nick who responded with a guilty smile.

"But!...Instead I get an overturned Cruiser from a vehicle pursuit in the R. F. District, threats of budget cuts from City Hall if I don't fulfill the Mayor's wishes, _increased_ reports of holiday shoplifting, and then there's you _two_..."

The buffalo halted his pacing to face the cowering officers directly.

"Entering a burning building which is strictly prohibited by guidelines put into place to keep Officers safe, and out of the way of properly trained rescue crews. Your actions speak of nothing but the highest level of ill-contempt for your own safety and the safety of those around you. Endangering your own lives and possibly the very individuals you attempted to protect..."

Nick lowered his head, trying to keep his tongue under control. He was about to protest when Bogo took the words right out of his mouth.

"...which is the part where I must commend you two with the highest level of honor the department can offer"

This surprised both of the Officers. Who looked at the Chief with faces of pure disbelief. Bogo then drew a slow breath before continuing.

"I will not sugarcoat this, but you two saved many lives today. Lives that might not have made it out otherwise when taking into account the escalating condition of the fire. But policy dictates I take action for your behavior. So your reward will be you can keep your jobs, and enjoy a couple of days off. Your punishment, suspension from patrol for the rest of the month. Some time at your desks should help with memorizing protocol for next time..."

Nick sighed in defeat. There was no room for argument this time.

"...I will see you both back at the station. And remember, _don't do it again_ "

Bogo's tone was edged in steel and tipped with rage. The fox and cat frantically nodded several times. Satisfied with their answer, Bogo departed to his own Cruiser to head back to the Precinct. Now alone, Nick exhaled loudly in a overly dramatic fashion.

"Boy...that was _intense_ , you know if you look close enough you can see the fur in his chin turn gray with every-"

 _WHACK!_

"AAAAHHHH!" Nick yelped.

"Fucking idiot!" Veranda yelled at him with a hiss.

Nick whined pitifully as he grabbed his right arm after Veranda sucker punched him.

"Ack! Easy Carrots! Everything is still a little..."

" _Carrots?!_ "

"...Uh, Kit Kat! Watch where you swing that thing..." he said, trying to recover.

Veranda just stared at him, growling audibly, tail swishing violently from side to side. She had wanted to do that ever since he first ran into the apartment building. She had to admit...it felt good.

"What possessed you to do that?!" she asked angrily.

"I had to do something! I couldn't just stand there and wait!" he yelled back.

"It wasn't your place! You know the rules! I didn't think I'd have to remind an Officer of my senior about something so goddamn basic!"

Nick had begun to growl a little. His ears were lowered against his skull as his lips pulled into a snarl.

"I'm sorry _Officer_ , next time I'll just sit on my ass and listen to the radio as I watch people burn alive! Because, heaven forbid I actually do my job and help people! I chose to help! And I did help! And everyone made it out because of _my_ choice!"

Veranda shoved Nick back forcefully by his chest. Claws extended and teeth bared.

"And what if you didn't make it huh?! What then?! I'm sure Hopps would've loved to spend Christmas at her partner's funeral! I'm sure we all would!"

Nick fell silent, his gaze drifting to the ground. The fight had gone out of him. Her words had cut deep, way too deep. Veranda watched worriedly as the fox became submissive. The confidence and authority he had displayed all day vanished in an instant.

The two of them said nothing for ten, perhaps twenty minutes. The awkward silence between them was only lessened slightly by the constant crackling from the still simmering building.

"Sorry for snapping..." she said eventually.

"No it's fine, I do deserve it"

"Are you always so reckless?"

Nick shuffled uncomfortably in his spot.

"No, not usually...Officer Toot toot does a pretty good job of keeping me under a leash"

"Short one I bet..." Veranda teased lightly with a small smirk.

Nick chuckled at that, which led him to have a short spout of violent coughing.

" _Very_ short" he added, eyes twinkling.

"She must care about you very much to put up with you every day, Cause I don't think I could..."

"I suppose she does..." Nick trailed off.

The tone in the fox's voice wasn't lost on the cat. Sensing her moment to strike, Veranda waited several moments before continuing.

"Nick, I don't mean to pry, but is everything alright between you two? Between you and Judy?" Veranda asked.

Nick's mind exploded. His limbs went numb with panic. Danger warnings and flashing red lights scrolled across his vision like a crashing computer.

 _Don't answer her you dumb fox. Under any circumstances...DO...NOT...AN-_

"Why do you ask?" he asked calmly.

His subconscious screamed. Why didn't he listen to himself? When did he become so god damn _sloppy_? Whatever happened to not letting them see that they get to you?!

"You seem so sad every time she is mentioned. You've been doing it all day. Don't try to deny it, cats are very good at reading body language" Veranda asked firmly.

The fox bit his bottom lip. He couldn't tell her, it was too risky. It was a risk to tell Judy, and that certainly worked wonders already. But he couldn't hide it anymore. He told Judy what his heart wanted to say because it was hurting too much to hide it.

It needed to be said.

"Well, last night...I said something to Judy I shouldn't have, something I had no right to say..."

"Which was?" she asked gently.

Nick took a calming, slow breath, lest there be tears again...

"I told her I was in lo..."

"I believe this stuff is yours Officer?"

Both Nick and Veranda turned forward to find the black bear firefighter waiting in front of them. Resting in the bear's massive paws was Nick's utility belt with all of his police equipment.

"Thank you my good mammal" Nick replied, taking the offered belt.

"Don't forget this..."

The bear then opened his palm to reveal a greasy looking police badge. Nick took the small item and carefully wiped it a little, his ash coated fur didn't do much to clean it.

"Thanks" said the fox.

"All due respect Officer, but your a crazed moron. But it's mammals like you that give those pieces of metal something to stand for" said the firefighter.

Nick squeezed his badge a little tighter.

 _My sense of meaning..._

"Maybe, but it's also mammals like me that could get others killed" he said with submission.

To his left, Veranda looked away feeling a tiny bit ashamed.

"True, but you can't knock the results sometimes" the firefighter said, pointing to the side with a finger.

The fox and cat followed his finger to see a weeping family of opossums wrapped in a single, large hug with each other. While slightly miffed about losing the subject of conversation with Nick, Veranda still sighed contentedly at the reunited family. The sight bringing a single tear to her eye.

"Makes the craziness all worth while huh?" she said to her partner.

Nick didn't reply at first. His mind was again tangled in that group of vines with a crazy, dumb, beautiful rabbit by his side.

 _Carrots, you saved my life!_

 _Well that's what we do at the ZPD..._

Nick looked down at the badge in his paw, then back at the crying family, warmth spreading through his chest. For the first time that day...if only for a moment...

He wasn't sad anymore.

"Yes, yes it does" he said with a smile.

A soft buzzing came from his utility belt. Checking the contents of the belt to make sure nothing was lost during the rescue, Nick came upon his phone which dutifully displayed he had missed a call. They even left a voicemail message. With a thumb swipe, the contact name was revealed.

 _Mr. & Mrs. Hopps Residence_

The phone began to shake in his paw. Taking a quick breath to settle his nerves, he dialed the voicemail to listen to the message. There was a strange mix of warm relief and bitter disappointment when he discovered the voice wasn't Judy's but that of her mother, Mrs. Hopps. She wanted him to call her back as soon as possible. Something seemed to be wrong with Judy.

His eye twitched, his heart clenched in his chest.

 _Something was wrong with Judy..._

Figuring he would have to call back eventually, he ended the voicemail message. There was still time to think of a plan to avoid that nuclear catastrophe. Nick then tapped the speed dial setting to ring up the front desk at the Precinct. The phone rang only twice before it was answered.

"Hey Clawhauser, it's Wilde. I'm still at Acres street, yeah...yeah we're all ok, nothing broken, I think we're all a little overcooked but nothing too serious. I was calling to ask about the paperwork..."

The response on the other end was not amusing in the slightest.

"Of _course_ he already bookmarked the reports for me...I'll get started when we get back...Oh, and can you have Jerry send them up?"

Nick stole a glance at the cat to his side. She heard nothing.

* * *

 _BREAKING! Gazelle rumored to make appearance for Adonis launch on Chri..._

The new notification on his phone was briefly ignored as Clawhauser looked to find two sooty Officers entering the lobby. It had taken so much time for the paramedics and firefighters to process the scene it was getting late in the evening when they were allowed to leave.

"There you guys are! Are you all okay?!" Clawhauser asked fearfully.

"Yes big guy, for the _hundredth_ time we're all alright..." Nick groaned.

"Easy for you to say! It's ev-ree-wheereee" Veranda whimpered.

She was looking at her arms and paws, the ash had become so dry there was a faint trail of smoke every time they moved their limbs.

"Awww, poor kitty, but dirt don't hurt much, right Kit Kat?" Nick jabbed.

"Stow it Wilde, I'm taking a shower then I'm going home. I'll write the stinking reports tomorrow, I'm beat..." Veranda groused, heading for the locker rooms.

"Fair enough, take it easy Kit Kat, don't let the ...Oh, hey there Jer! How's it going?"

Veranda froze solid in her tracks. Not daring to look back.

"Those files for me?" Nick asked the wolf clerk.

"U-uh yes, the Chief wants these filled and filed by Friday" said a nervous voice.

Veranda slowly rotated in place to look at the two conversing canines. Nick was standing with a light, blonde furred wolf with glasses over by the reception desk. The wolf seemed to have a hard time time focusing on the fox. His eyes constantly darting between Nick and the tabby cat.

"That buffalo sure like's his red tape...Oh, you remember Officer Veranda right?" Nick asked innocently.

Veranda gulped. Jerry's knees began to wobble.

"Y-yes I d-do" he said.

"Jer, I don't think Officer Veranda here has found a desk to use yet. Why don't you two go set her up a computer somewhere? She has a lot of paperwork in the morning..."

Despite the ash in her already dark fur, Veranda went as white as a sheet.

"B-but I'm filthy!" Veranda whined defensively, waving her paws about.

Nick's smirk grew. She wasn't getting out that easily.

"It won't take more than ten minutes, will it Jer?" Nick asked the shaking wolf.

"I-I s-suppose n-not." he stuttered, adjusting his glasses for the third time.

"Perfect! Why don't you kids runs along now?"

Nick practically shoved the wolf and cat a whole yard before they regained enough sense to use their legs.

"O-ok, there a few spare offices this way, j-just follow me" Jerry said nervously.

As Jerry led the cat down the hall, Veranda looked back to stare daggers at the fox. Mouthing the words _'I hate you'_ in his direction. Nick's response was to put his fingers to his lips and blow a kiss at her with a wink.

Watching the whole event as if it was a reality TV show was Clawhauser. All bug-eyed and slack jawed. The big cat was so caught up trying to process the new bit of office gossip he didn't notice Nick swipe the last doughnut as he passed.

"Hmmm, that is very good peppermint" Nick hummed to himself, happily munching away.

* * *

Feeling refreshed and clean from a long, warm shower and a change of clothes, Nick was making his way to his cubicle in the ZPD Office area when he came upon an exhausted voice. The sound was coming from a spot three desks away from his own.

"No honey, you know I can't...I want to be there too..."

Edging around the corner of the work space slowly, Nick found Officer Wolford at his desk with his back to Nick. He was using the desktop phone for what was obviously a personal call. And one that didn't sound lively in the least.

"Ok, I'll see you tonight, love you babe"

The tired looking wolf ended the call and leaned back in his seat with a groan. His nose aimed at the ceiling.

"How's it hanging Wolford?" Nick asked.

The wolf looked to his left to find a smirking fox standing nearby.

"Heard you jumped out of building today Wilde" Wolford said mischievously.

"Buffalo butt tried to give me parking duty again, thought I'd should end it all. Didn't work..."

"Ha! As if it would be that easy..."

The two canines shared a nice laugh before Nick pulled out his phone.

"Wanna see?" he asked.

Nick pulled up the newsreel footage on his phone of his daring jump out of the window. The wolf let out a slow whistle as he noticed the height of the fall and Nick's sooty appearance.

"God above Wilde, is that you?" Wolford asked in awe.

"Look the new look? I'm thinking it would be great for a vigilante costume"

"Yeah, and it would give the Chief a real reason to shoot you on sight!"

"His Christmas wish..." Nick joked.

The wolf gave a light laugh before gradually slouching forward. The look on his face was blank and distant. Nick could tell jokes weren't going to get his pal out of his funk. He gestured to the phone with a nod.

"Trouble with the missus?" he asked sincerely.

The wolf officer sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Rachel wants to do something together before the year is out. We haven't done something in awhile. But with saving money for gifts, the dinners, and to support the new cub this year..."

Nick gave the wolf an encouraging look and nudged his shoulder.

"Hang in there bud, Christmas is still a way's yet. Always time for another miracle..."

"I'll believe that once I see it in my bank account..." the wolf whined.

* * *

The Sun had disappeared for the night when Nick yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes. He had just finished the final touches on the apartment file report and was now waiting for his computer to finish booting down. Next to the monitor was a small calendar eagerly announcing Christmas was very much around the corner, and

But what really caught his eye, was the framed photo next to the calendar. The photo of him and Judy wrapped arm in arm at his graduation. The two of them with mad, ecstatic grins on their faces.

He missed her. There was no denying it. Not having that wonderful bunny by his side was more painful than he ever thought it would be.

The bartender was right. He just needed to be with her.

He loved her and wanted her to love him back. But whether that ever happened or not was not the point. He just needed to be with her. If only for the reason she made him feel he was so much more than he was.

He had jumped out of a burning building to save a child while thinking of her. Offered breakfast and a job to a homeless mammal while thinking of her. Nearly hospitalized a dead beat of a prairie dog while thinking of her. Thinking of what she meant to him.

She brought out the best in him. His sense of meaning.

Glancing at the calendar by his desk, Nick furrowed his eyes and reached for the desktop phone. Christmas day and Judy's return was still about a week away...

He might as well do something meaningful until then

* * *

 **A/N: Before you all send me angry messages asking why on earth Nick was constantly told to hang back during the fire let me explain. Many fire fighters will actually tell you it is better for police officers to hang back and assist rather than for them to jump in and try to evacuate citizens. The reason is most police officers do not have the specific training let alone the equipment necessary to handle fire situations. Thus, they may not handle the situation correctly. As noble as their actions are, it doesn't do much good if they get themselves trapped as well...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I really hope everyone is enjoying this story, because this flu bug I've caught is trying to destroy it. BUT NO MATTER! Writing continues!...slowly. :/**

 **Leave me a comment or a fave if you really like it!**

 _ **Two days later...**_

It was late in the evening when Bogo stepped out of his office for a refresher on his coffee. The past hour and a half was spent catching up on daily officer reports after being delayed by a last minute meeting with the Mayor to discuss changes to the security detail for the upcoming Christmas parade to be held in Savannah Central.

Outside of his office, the station was beginning to wind down. Day patrols were sigining off just as the Night patrols were coming in. Even the lobby, which was usually a constant source of background noise, was growing quiet.

In theory...

An excited voice from the bottom floor grabbed Bogo's ear and led him to the railing. Peering down over the edge, he discovered a scene right out of a cheesy, family drama. Two adult llamas were embracing two teenaged llamas in what was nearly hysteria. Next to them, was a female border collie wiping the tears out of her eyes. No one apart from the adult llamas looked as if any of them had bathed in several weeks.

Taking a quick trip down the elevator, Bogo soon walked into the lobby and made his way over to the reception desk. Where a certain receptionist was too busy ogling over the happy scene in front of him and not working...

 _Again._

"Clawhauser"

The plump cheetah quickly turned to find the Chief standing next to him.

"Evening Chief, oooooh, isn't that heartwarming?" said Clawhauser, referring to the group of llamas.

"What am I looking at?"

"A Christmas miracle sir..." said the cheetah dreamily.

The Chief gave the cheetah an impatient look, which caused the cheetah to begin to stutter.

"Oh, ah, I mean..uh...this is the Packreeve family sir. We just...uh, brought in their son for...driving under the influence! He only has a learner's permit sir"

Bogo stole at a glance at the sniffling llamas. The waterworks was impressive.

"A bit overemotional for a simple DUI you think?"

"Oh, yes! Uh, the mother was very concerned. She assumed the worst when we got the call that we had her son in the station"

Clearly unconvinced, Bogo turned round to find Officer Veranda standing by a water cooler with the wolf clerk Jerry. They seemed to be talking enthusiastically about something. Given the wide smiles on their faces and happily swishing tails.

"Officer Veranda!" Bogo snapped.

The cat jumped sharply at the sound of her name, startling both her and the wolf clerk. Before Bogo could raise his voice again, the Precinct Three Officer closed the distance and gave a salute to the buffalo.

"Yes sir?" she asked.

"Do you know anything about this?" Bogo asked, pointing at the llama family.

"The Packreeves? I heard one of our officers located their missing children sir"

Turning away from the tabby cat officer, Bogo focused back upon the receptionist with furrowed eyes. Said receptionist began to cower in his seat.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" he asked.

"Well, uh, because...we just...got the call an hour ago?" the cheetah said uneasily.

The buffalo lowered his head to stare at the cheetah more closely.

"Clawhauser..."he asked slowly.

The poor cheetah squeaked pitifully, fidgeting in his seat.

"Who brought them in?" Bogo asked calmly.

The pressure was too much for the receptionist. It was joked around the Precinct the Chief's stare could strike fear into the lord of the underworld itself. Clawhauser, like many others, knew it wasn't a joke.

"OfficerWildesir!" the cheetah blurted, slamming his paws over his mouth quickly.

Bogo's impatience vanished and was quickly replaced by pure surprise. His mouth falling open just a tad.

"Officer Wilde? I ordered him to take the day off" Bogo exclaimed.

"You did sir" Clawhauser affirmed with a nod.

Bogo's eyes slowly scanned the lobby of the Precinct for any trace of the vulpine officer. But the fox was nowhere to be found. What he could see, was a faint glow coming through the windows of the darkened office space across the lobby. With his bottom lip twisting in irriation, Bogo marched away from the two felines towards the supposedly deserted office rooms.

He decided it was time for another _talk_ with Officer Wilde.

.

 _Earlier that day..._

The temperature was nearly below freezing as Nick pelted his way past the snowy entrance of Little Rodentia on his early morning jog. Given their nocturnal nature, it was rare to find a fox out and about at this time of the day. But to the mammals of Savannah Central, the sight of this fox wasn't strange in the least.

Nick Wilde had been a busy mammal the past two days. Hanging around in the streets waiting to dial up Zuber drivers on his dime for traveling mammals low on cash, convincing store owners to donate produce and toys in excess to various fundraisers, and even coordinating the local carolers where to go for the biggest of audiences.

He had just rounded a block when a beeping noise from his phone alerted him he had reached his two hour run mark. Silencing the alarm, he noted with satisfaction he had surpassed his previous best distance.

A new record...

His achievement was met with a low grumble from his stomach. Sinc he had skipped breakfast, he surmised he had time for a quick bite. But what was he in the mood for? Not the Bug-Burga, not the Snarlbucks, there was only option he felt a craving for...

...the Ficus street soup kitchen.

Throwing the double doors wide open to the sound of a small bell, Nick strolled into the little eatery to find the place nearly packed with mammals. Each one of them huddled at the tables with steaming pots of vegetable stew.

"Morning everyone!" he yelled out

There was a warm, collective greeting across the whole room. Alongside a couple of burps and coughs. Despite the reason for the existence of soup kitchens, the people inside seemed to be in good spirits.

Moving past the mildly chipper homeless mammals, Nick made his way to the main counter in the center of the dining room. Taking a seat upon a stool, he rapped twice on the counter with his knuckles to grab the servant's attention.

"Good day ma'am, I'd like bowl of your finest vegetable stew please" Nick said kindly, his smirk a mile long.

The server mammal behind the counter, didn't seem to friendly in the least. The look she gave the fox could've split concrete.

"Here you are sir, enjoy" the mammal said without warmth.

Nick's smile fell as an empty bowl was slid across the counter to where he was sitting.

"Uh Kit Kat, I think you've made a mistake, I do believe you're suppose to serve bowls filled" he explained frankly.

Officer Veranda glanced over her shoulder at the fox with an unamused look, placing a paw on her hip.

"That's because we only cater to mammals without home's of their own. Despite your deadbeat behavior, I know you don't just live under a rock somewhere"

A frown slowly began to spread across Nick's face as he did his best to giver her a pleading look.

"Such harsh words Kit Kat, but even harsher attitude. Denying food to a starving mammal in need? What would Santa Paws say?" he teased, milking the act for all it's worth.

The tabby cat wasn't moved. But she did give in and replaced the empty bowl with a filled one.

"Thanks Kit Kat" said Nick.

Just as he was reaching for a spoon, Veranda quickly snatched the utensil away. Which caused Nick to look at her in confusion.

"Like I said, we cater to mammals without homes. You have a home, so you pay when you're finished" she said pointedly.

The fox at the counter simply smirked at her.

 _I was right, she_ _is_ _fun_

"Fair enough" he said with a shrug.

Feeling satisfied, Veranda gave Nick a sweet smile as she handed him the spoon back.

"So why are you here? I thought Chief buffalo butt gave you the day off" he asked, munching on his stew.

His question was responded with a sigh.

"Yes, Chief Bogo did give me time off. But my Chief over in Precinct Three is a total hardass, he doesn't like idle officers so he assigned me to community outreach detail. Hence, my appearance..." she said, gesturing to her chef's apron.

"I am genuinely sorry Kit Kat..." Nick said with sincerity, slurping another spoonful.

The cat officer sighed softly in acceptance and gave Nick another small smile.

"No biggie, this is far better than paperwork at least. Besides, it feels good to help" she said, looking out over the packed dining hall.

A devious light bulb clicked inside Nick's head.

"Speaking of help, how was Jerry help's when he set up a computer for you?"

She tried to hide it. She really did. But Nick was far too skilled in reading a mammal's tells, indicators the body provides to give a clue into their true emotions. The tiny twitch of her tail, the tightening of her bottom lip, and the act of shutting her eyes to hide the dreamy look in them.

"It went fine" she said simply.

 _Oh yeah, she's got it_ _bad_

"How are you Nick?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I'm doing fine. Been busy a bit. Why do you ask?"

Veranda looked away for a brief moment before facing the fox again.

"Well, after the fire I asked you about Judy, and why you seem so down when we talk about her..."

Nick's smile disappeared, his gaze dropping to look at his stew bowl.

"...we never finished our discussion" she finished.

Placing his spoon down in the bowl, it was several minutes before Nick raised his head to face Veranda.

"I know we didn't, and while I still need to talk about it, it's still a bit too early, and I'm still a bit too sober for that right now"

Veranda's ears fell slightly. Nick was throwing his walls up again. For the past two days, he had managed to occupy himself enough to keep a certain police bunny out of his head. The pain and fear was still there, but a least now he wasn't on the cusp of weeping like a baby every two minutes.

"Okay. But I'm all ears, so don't hesitate alright?" she said tenderly.

"Sure, Kit Kat" he said with a genuine smile.

Veranda smiled back at him as she moved off into the kitchen. Leaving a nervous to Nick inhale sharply through his nose in relief, grateful the conversation had been dropped. He then turned his attention to the large amount of mammals gulping down stew by the barrel behind him.

"Awfully packed today"he remarked sadly.

The cat in the apron agreed with a sigh.

"Yeah, they just keep coming in. Worst part is, I overheard one of them say there's more of them out near Mead Road by the old factories..."

"Why aren't they here?"

"Getting too cold to travel I guess, this winter has been usually cold so far"

Nick said nothing, the gears inside his head were turning once more as Veranda began to wipe off the counter tops with a rag,

"So tell me Wilde, what have you been up to on your day off?...Wilde?"

The fox's unusual silence caused the cat to look up in surprise. Only to find an empty stew bowl with a twenty zoo buck bill tucked underneath.

.  
.

Stuart Hopps was many things. Kind, loyal, hardworking...and all around lovable sort.

But brave, that was debatable.

The kitchen and dining area within the Hopps burrow was a proverbial volcano that never stopped erupting. An entire wing of the house was dedicated to the singular function of feeding the hundreds of rabbits that called the burrow home. As soon as one group of fifty left the tables, another would take it's place within seconds.

Squeezing and tip toeing his way through the ocean of rabbit kits, Stu Hopps was a buck out on a mission. The most deadliest kind of mission. The kind that haunted every parent's dreams as they slept soundly in their beds.

He was going to have a talk with his daughter.

Judy Hopps

The purple sweater wearing police officer was manning the dessert section of the kitchen. Acting very much like the Captain of a ship as she directed several of her siblings in manning the ovens, stirring the mixing bowls, and decorating the cakes and gingerbread houses. Busy helping to prepare for the Hopps holiday feast in a couple of days. She was so focused on stirring a pot of cookie dough she didn't notice her father arrive.

"Hey there Jude the dude, how are the cookies?" he asked cheerily.

Judy's left ear twisted around at the sound of her father's voice. Followed by her head as she looked over her shoulder.

"Hey Dad!" she greeted happily. "Need something?"

Stu smiled a little at his daughter's cheerful behavior, feeling a touch hopeful her mood had improved.

"Listen Jude, I wanted to ask you something..." Stu began.

"Can it wait a sec dad? I'm really busy right now"

With oven mitts on her paws, Judy kneeled down and opened one of the three dozen ovens to pull out a steaming tray of crispy cookies. Dumping the tray on the counter, she threw off the over mitts and plucked a cookie off the tray.

"Want one?" she asked.

Stu took the offered cookie and bit into it with a pleasant crunch.

"This is pretty good Jude!" he exclaimed.

"Take this!" she exclaimed.

"Wha-OOMPH!"

Stu nearly fell face first onto the floor as Judy dropped a fifteen pound sack of flour into his arms. He had barely righted himself when Judy motioned for him to follow her, a sack of flour in her arms as well.

"This way!" she said.

Following the energetic doe over to another station within the kitchen, the two rabbits dropped the flour onto another counter with a loud thump.

"As I was saying Jude, I wanted to ask you a few things..."

"Like what?" she said, ducking under the counter.

"Well, me and your mother, well we just wanted to know if everything is ok..."

"Everything's ok, why do you ask?" she replied, standing back up with a box of spices in her paws.

"We're just a bit worried about you..."

"Worried? Why would you be worried?"

"Um, well you haven't been yourself lately, and we were a little..."

He was interrupted as Judy began to giggle at her dad's timidness.

"Dad, it's no big deal. I'm just a little swamped with work. Thing's have been crazy at the Precinct recently, and I was just stressed out a bit. It's nothing to worry about"

"O-ok, I can understand that...How's Nick by the way? Haven't talked to him in ages"

The doe paused briefly in her activities at the sound of her partner's name.

"Heeee's doing great! Yep! Just really really great!" she said shakily, her smile growing wider.

Stuart Hopps was no detective, but he didn't have to be one to see the smile on Judy's face was forced, he decided not to comment on it.

"You know Judy, me and Bon Bon never got a chance to ask, but wasn't Nick suppose to come with you here?"

He noticed his daughter's movements slowed a bit as she began rummaging through a cupboard of cans.

"He, uh, declined. His...mother...hasn't been feeling well!" Judy said rambling. "Yeah, his mother has been under the weather so he decided to stay with her for the holiday!"

With a dozen cans tucked in her arms, Judy closed the cupboard and brought the cans over to a large soup bowl sitting on an open stove.

"Oh, ok, I hope she feel feels better. That's a real shame, we were all looking forward to having him stay"

"Yeah..." she whispered, pulling out a can opener.

She must've thought her father didn't catch that last sentence, but he did.

"How do you feel though? I know you were eager to have him over" he asked softly.

Putting down the can opener, she looked at her father with a warm smile. Stepping closer, Judy gently embraced him in a firm hug. Nuzzling the side of her face against his.

"Dad, I'm fine. Just a little stressed from all the preparations." she said reassuringly.

Stu sighed as he patted his daughter on the back, breaking the hug to look at his daughter as if she was a total stranger. Judy had changed. Spending two years in Zootopia had had that effect on her. As much as they feared it, Stu and Bonnie Hopps both knew it was inevitable. But this was something else. He could see it clear as day. The way she was standing there, with a warm smile, gentle eyes, and a bubbly attitude.

He knew it was all a total lie.

She never used to do that. Judy was never the kind of rabbit to hide away her emotions. But there she was, acting solid and chipper even though her own father could easily see she was having a crisis. She was doing her awful best to hide it too.

 _Where'd she learn_ _that?_

"Alright Jude, but you let me know if something is bothering alright? You can always talk to your old dad about anything."

The two rabbits pulled apart to face each other, paw in paw.

"Thank you dad, I'll let you know the instant something is wrong, ok?" she said warmly.

Stu just looked into his daughters eyes and sighed in acceptance.

"Okay" he said with a smile.

Giving her dad one more quick hug, Judy quickly hopped away back to the stove to get started on making carrot soup.

He wasn't convinced in the slightest.

.

 _This is not right..._

He checked, double checked, and even triple checked. But the address on the delivery slip perfectly matched the bronze plaque bolted above the old mailbox. The pizza was definitely destined for this lonely old, abandoned warehouse. The entire place was boarded up, the front fence all rusty and covered in _Condemned by City Order_ posters. The only sign of possible life to be seen was a busted open gate along the fence with fresh paw prints in the snow.

Killing the engine and headlight on his delivery moped, the fit looking cheetah dressed in a thick jacket with a red and white pizza delivery cap looked forlornly upon his destination. Perched on the rear seat of the moped were twelve, sizzling, oversized pizza boxes. Wrapped in a insulator bag and tied down with extra bungee cords.

 _Great, another bogus order..._

With only three more minutes allowed for the delivery, he was about to fire up the moped and head back when a voice grabbed his attention.

"Hey there! Those pizzas are for me"

The cheetah looked to the side to find a smiling red fox walking toward him from the snow filled pathway through the broken gate. He was wearing a pair of dark blue slacks and a gray hoodie with ZPD stenciled on the front in gray letters.

"12 extra large party trays, half veg, half meat right?" he asked.

"Uhh, yeah man..." the pizza delivery cheetah confirmed.

"Great!" the fox replied, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

Confused by the fox's behavior, the cheetah absentmindedly undid the cords and opened the insulator bag containg the piping hot food.

"Do you really live here?" asked the cheetah.

"Not me, but the mammals those pizzas are for do..." replied the fox.

"What do y.."

"Need some help with those Nick?" came a voice.

"If you would be so kind Reg" said the fox.

The cheetah became as still as a statue when he looked up to see a grimy elephant standing over them behind the fence. The large mammal was wearing a faded yellow sweater and a dirty, wool cap. Leaning over the fence, the elephant scooped up ten of the twelve pizza boxes with his trunk. Blinking twice to regain his senses, the cheetah held out a pen and a piece of paper to fox.

"Sign here please..." he said quietly.

Nick quickly signed the receipt with a flourish and handed the pen and paper back.

"And this is for you pal" he said, placing his wallet back in his pants.

In the fox's outstretched paw was a crisp, twenty zoo buck bill. The delivery cheetah took the offered currency a little at a loss for words. Grabbing the last two boxes, Nick was about to head through the gate but stopped a moment to give the cheetah a concerned look.

"Take care and drive safe out there, the roads are nasty this time of night" warned the fox.

And with that, the fox and elephant disappeared once more behind the fence, their delicious bounty in tow. Leaving one very perplexed cheetah, who simply drove away on his moped lost in his thoughts.

"Pizza's here!" Nick called out.

Upon entering the warehouse, the fox and elephant were greeted with the sight of nearly three dozen piles of garbage stuffed in every corner. But once Nick had called out the arrival of food, the piles of garbage began to move and stand. Revealing them to be nearly three dozen homeless mammals of every description. There were wolves, badgers, sheep, tigers, horses, gerbils, giraffes, rodents, and more. All of them clad in tattered clothing and looking very hungry and cold.

Nick and Reg soon deposited the pizza boxes on a flight of two party tables Nick had acquired the previous day. There were paper plates, napkins, a box of plastic silverware and several beverage dispenser filled with warm drinks.

"Come on! Get it while it's hot! the fox declared.

With the efficiency of an assembly line, Nick dished out plates of pizza along with cups of warm tea and cider to each of the eager mammals within the warehouse. Joking and offering friendly conversation as he did so. It didn't matter who they were or where they came from, he made it his priority to treat them all equally. Be they the sharp-tongued koala with no patience, or the sneaky skunk lady trying to score extra helpings. He had just grabbed a slice when the next patron caught his eye.

"And who might you be darling? I don't think we've met before" he said gently.

The grimy border collie slowly shook her head.

"I'm new to the streets, been out a month" she said, eyes downcast.

Nick's heart ached at the sight of the poor girl.

"Here, this'll warm you up" Nick said, offering the cup of tea.

"Thank you very much, but could I get a second one? Uh, not for me, it's for Pamela, she's not well"

Nick raised an eyebrow at this.

"Is she ok?" he asked

The collie's fingers danced nervously over her cup.

"I don't know, I think it's a cold, but it's lasted for over a week now..."

Nick didn't let her finish as he reached under the table and hoisted up a small duffel bag.

"Take me to her" he said firmly.

"I don't..." she began.

"I insist"

Realizing the fox wasn't going to back down, the reluctant border collie led the fox all the way to the other side of the warehouse. Where buried under some musty blankets behind an old generator was young llama. Coughing hard enough to spit out blood.

"That doesn't sound healthy..."Nick remarked, setting the bag down.

He opened the bag, revealing a small trove medical supplies. Including bandages, medicine, and even a defibrillator.

"I'll be fine..."the llama murmured.

"You will be with some of this" Nick said, offering a small cup of cough syrup. The llama took the medicine gratefully and settled back down within the blankets.

"You her friend?" Nick asked the border collie.

She nodded.

"Yeah, I met her a few days ago. She was out looking for her brother"

"Who?" Nick asked, he was taking the llama's temp and missed the end of the dog's sentence.

"Her brother, Neil, he ran away a couple of weeks ago. We've been looking for him."

"Any idea where he went?"

The collie dog shook her head. Humming to himself in thought, Nick stepped aside to pull out his phone to call the lobby of the Precinct.

"Hey Clawhauser, it's Nick, listen, I need a favor. I need you to go through the database and look up any llama families by the name of 'Packreeve'. And Clawhauser, this stays between the two of us, if grumpy the buffalo asks just say...Clawhauser?"

Nick pulled the phone away from his face to look at the screen, grumbling a little in irritation.

"Aw nuts, any of you fellas got a charger on you?" he asked sarcastically,

There was a collective shrug across the entire warehouse.

.  
.

 _Several hours later..._

 _Tundratown_

 _Why did it have to be Tundratown?_

Pulling the wool cap down tighter on his head, Nick carefully approached the closed motor shop from the south out of sight of the windows. He had ditched his ZPD clothing for a pair of rags graciously offered by the mammals in the warehouse. He hoped it would help to keep a low profile as he skulked about the seedy area of Tundratown, which was dangerous for an elephant as much as it was for a sly fox.

Even though the Sun was starting to set, there was still enough daylight to make stealth a tricky affair. His search for the errant llama took him several hours, a trek across two-thirds of the city, and the chance to meet a variety of colorful creatures who all had something to say about the errant llama.

Long story made short, the llama kid seemed to have bummed his way around most of the city. Taking on odd jobs of this and that. The only recurring theme Nick could find was the kid seemed to move on before a single profit could be made. It was certainly curious.

Coming up to the back door, Nick halted quickly and ducked behind some old trash cans before anyone could see. The door had opened due to a walrus stepping outside for a smoke. For ten minutes, Nick sat there uncomfortably in a pile of snow, waiting for the walrus to finish.

Throwing the spent cigarette away, the walrus began to move back inside when Nick made his move. Even with the snow crunching under his feet, the walrus didn't notice a thing as the fox snuck behind the door and grabbed it before it could close completely. Sneaking inside, Nick came upon a sizable garage filled with several vehicles all half torn apart with scattered pieces across the floor.

 _Chop shop_

He quickly made himself scarce as an angry voice piped up from across the room. A bobcat along with a hyena and the walrus were ripping the engine out of a pickup truck.

"Neil, I need a socket wrench! Hurry up you little shit!" the bobcat hollered.

Shuffling into view, was a teenaged llama carrying a crescent wrench. The llama was thin and lanky, and wearing clothes more suited for Sahara Square than the chilly streets of Tundratown.

"Here you go, Gabe" the llama said, offering a crescent wrench.

"You fucking idiot! That's not a socket wrench! Got back and get the right one before I shove it up your ass!" the bobcat shouted.

The llama recoiled slightly before leaping away over to a nearby tool storage closet in a far corner of the garage. He was just reaching for the tool when a paw clenched his muzzle and yanked him backwards behind a shelf.

"Sssshhhh! Stay down, and keep your mouth shut!" Nick hissed.

The scared llama tried to break free from Nick's hold but the fox held him tight. After several minutes of useless struggling, the llama finally gave up.

"Mutt moo u want?!" he mumbled through Nick's paw.

"I'm taking you home..."

He released his hold on the llama's muzzle but was prepared to silence him again if need be.

"Home? I don't have a home!" the llama argued quietly.

"Yes! You _do_...your sister Pamela is looking for you"

"Pamela? She sent you?"he asked gravely.

"Yes she did, she's not feeling well..."Nick explained.

"...I know" the llama said sadly.

Nick looked down to see a sorrowful expression on the llama's face.

"If you know then why did you leave her?" the fox asked.

"I left to try and get some money! I wanted to steal some medicine, but Pamela wouldn't allow it, so I left to earn some money..."

"Well you aren't going to find much here, crooks like these punks are rarely generous with equal pay.."

"What am I going to do? My sister is sick, and nothing I do pays well!"

"Well, it _is_ illegal..."Nick deadpanned.

The llama sobbed a little as he covered his face with his hooves. Suddenly, Nick had an idea.

"Where do these bozo's keep their stash?" he asked.

The llama looked at him in shock, but appeared to be on the same page as the vulpine.

"Gabe keeps all the money in the safe box, in the manager's office"

"Stay here. Don't make a single noise, or move an inch! Clear?"

The llama agreed nervously. Crawling out of the closet slowly, Nick tip toed his way past the chop shop crew with ease and into an old office room. The room was filthy and filled with old papers and drawers. Perched on a table against the far wall below a window, was a scratched safety lock.

Nick started to pick the lock with a clothes pin when a light danced across the wall behind him. Peeking over the table in curiosity, Nick could barely see through the fog outside to make out a line of three cars pulling up down the street. Apart from the muffled light from the streetlamps, the cars were shrouded in fuzziness darkness. A second later, he could make out several shapes approaching from the cars. Big shapes too...

His heart stopped.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers!" he hissed.

He forgot all about the money box as he dashed back to the tool closet where Neil was hiding. The llama had a fearful look on his face due to the fox's scared appearance.

"What's the matter?!" asked the llama worriedly.

"We need to get out of here!" Nick said frantically, looking for an exit.

"Why?!"

"Trouble! Time to go!"

Spotting a fire exit door down the hall, Nick yanked the llama so hard his hooves actually left the ground

"But what about the money?!" he cried.

"Forget it!"

The llama tried in vain to break free of the fox's strong grip.

"No way! I need that money for my sister!" he argued. "She needs the medicine!"

"Well, we're going to need some medicine of our own once the shooting begins!"

The two stopped briefly at the fire exit door, the handle wouldn't budge no matter how hard Nick fiddled with it.

"Shooting?!" the llama cried.

"Yes! Shooting! With guns and bullets! Deadly deadly bullets! So we are leaving, right now!"

Nick gave the door a mighty heave but nothing happened.

"Neil, help me out!" he hissed, pushing again.

"Umm..."

"What, what's wr-?"

"Turn around fox, paws up"

Nick ceased pushing on the door immediately. The hairs on his neck beginning to stand up.

"Listen, I know you have no reason to believe me, but you and your boys need to leave" Nick called out to the thug behind them.

"I said turn around fox!"

With careful steps, Nick turned in place to find the hyena thug standing in the hall with a pistol in his grasp.

"Who the hell are you?" the hyena demanded.

"No one important"

"Neil...you with this guy?" the asked the llama.

The llama and fox exchanged a look. A lump forming in Nick's throat.

"No Luke, I don't know this fox at all" said the llama with conviction.

"Come on fox" the hyena ordered.

With a gun aimed at his head, Nick steadily walked out of the hallway and into the main garage area. Where his presence was brought to the attention of the bobcat and walrus. They then began the usual game of twenty questions of asking of who he was and what he was doing there. With Nick giving bogus, but believable answers to each one.

"Have I seen you before?"asked the bobcat skeptically.

"Never. I hate this part of town" Nick replied.

"I know I have..."

"Look, you guys are in danger, we all need to leave now" Nick warned.

It had been nearly ten minutes since Nick discovered the strange cars and their occupants. His nerves were growing more and more uneasy with each passing second.

"Oh, really?" the bobcat said without emotion.

"Why should we trust a fox?" the hyena sneered

Those were the last words the hyena ever said. A loud banging sound came from the other side of the garage door which silenced the entire room. The bobcat motioned with his head for the hyena to look out the window. As soon as the canine poked his head out into view...

...the world exploded. Dozens of gunshots peppered and punctured the garage door, striking several of the disassembled cars where they ricocheted in every direction. Several screams could be heard amongst the loud gunfire as Nick dove behind a cargo van for cover. Taking a panicking llama with him.

The whole ordeal might only have lasted for a few seconds, but those seconds ticked into as hours as Nick pressed himself into the floor as far as he could with a screaming llama in his arms. As soon as it began, the shooting ceased. Before he could so much as blink, a strong paw lifted Nick up by his neck so he could stare straight into a face of white.

"Oh great..." he whimpered.

It was the last thing he knew before another strong paw came down upon his head...

.

"Nick!" Judy shouted angrily.

Nick lazily opened an eye at the pouting rabbit. They had spent the day out on a pleasant picnic. Sandwiches, lemonade, veggies, and crickets galore all consumed. Leaving a blueberry pie from Gideon's bakery just for dessert.

"You ate the last piece of pie! I didn't even get a slice!" she complained.

"And?" he asked in full on smirk mode.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"What do I say?" the fox said playfully.

Scooping the rabbit up so she was resting on his chest, Nick leaned back on the blanket to gaze lovingly into her eyes. The beautiful rabbit simply smirked at him playfully as she waited for his answer.

"I say, I hope you can forgive me Carrots, for I love you more than life itself" he said, squeezing her tighter. "So much so, I promise I'll buy you another one. Just for you"

The rabbit in his embrace squirmed with a giggle. She then rose up to cup her paws on his cheeks.

"And I say..." she began sweetly, moving closer.

Sensing what was coming, Nick closed his eyes and leaned forward. His lips puckering into a kiss.

"Keep dreaming..."

Nick's eyes snapped open. The rabbit staring him in the face was not the Judy he knew. The rabbit's pupils were a cold, unforgiving gray. The smile on the rabbit's face was devoid of all joy. Suddenly, the rabbit jumped up to kneel on his chest, grabbing his neck and shoving him back. Dunking his head into a pool of blisteringly cold water.

He tried to scream, but the water filled his lungs. He tried to kick and thrash out of the demon bunny's grasp, but she was too strong. The darkness at the edge of his vision was rising, enveloping, threatening to swallow him whole...

* * *

Nick's head collided hard with the solid wood floor as he tumbled out of bed. Rubbing the sore spot on his noggin, he slowly pulled himself back up to lean on the edge of the bed.

"Ugh, where am I?" he said to no one in particular.

As his eyes adjusted, he realized the decor of the room was very familiar. Dangerously familiar.

 _Oh no! nonononono!_

Sprinting over to the door to make his escape, he knew he had maybe five minutes to think of a plan of escape. Not knowing where Neil had disappeared too, nor how deep in ice water the two of them were. Grabbing the unlocked door handle, Nick threw the door wide open, only to stop dead in his tracks.

"Eep!"

Taking up the entire space of the door was the intimidating presence that was Raymond the polar bear.

"Well, I'm boned..." Nick said pitifully, visibly deflating as his tail dropped to the floor.

Raymond looked down upon the fox with an unamused expression before uttering the single, most spine chilling word Nick had ever heard in his life.

"Tea?"

Nick's mind went blank. Presented before his face was a silver tea tray with a pipng hot kettle, a jar of tea bags, a small bowl of sugar, and a fox sized tea cup and stirring spoon.

"Thank...you?" he replied, taking the tray.

The polar bear grunted.

"Mr. Big requests your presence in an hour. Stay here"

It wasn't a threat or an order. But then it didn't have to be. Nick frantically nodded without a word. The bear seemed satisfied with fox's answer so he turned to lumber away. Leaving a highly confused fox in his wake.

* * *

No matter how many times he set paw into that room, the entire atmosphere always turned his blood cold. And it wasn't because if the small piles of snow tucked away into the corners. Nick was standing in the middle of Mr. Big's office flanked on all sids by several hulking polar bear guards, still dressed in his hobo garb and looking very uncomfortable and out of place.

Perched in his favorite chair was the Tundratown crime boss himself, Mr. Big. Dressed in a light gray dinner tuxedo with ablue coronation on his chest. His face was buried in purple portfolio, humming a nameless as he scrolled through the pages. Every fine minutes or so, the portfolio would close and be exchanged for another from the gigantic Koslov. The biggest polar bear under Mr. Big's employ.

In the two years since the Nighthowler pandemic, Nick had steadily wormed his way back onto Mr. Big's good side. It wasn't easy. Given their, shaky personal history and the simple fact Nick was now a police officer. But thanks to the connection Judy had as the godmother to Big's granddaughter, and the occasional friendly bits of "advice" the crime family offered to the ZPD, things had gone smoothly.

But Nick knew better. Nothing is ever forgotten in the world of organized crime. And he knew it wouldn't take much to invoke the wrath of the arctic shrew calmly reading his business records. Soon, the shrew was done, and addressed Nick by offering out his paw with the diamond ring. Going through the motions, Nick delicately placed a kiss on the shrew's ring before pulling back a respectable distance.

"Mr. Big sir, please this is not what you think..." Nick began

"Really? Is that so? I'm pretty sure I do know what this is all about. A ZPD officer snooping around an illegal chop shop the same instant my boys arrive to...conduct business" Mr. Big said calmly.

"I mean, I uh, well, yes. It may seem like that, but actually..what I was doing was rescuing a llama from certain doom..."

Nick paused, a horrific realization dawning on him.

"Where is Neil?" he asked worriedly.

"You mean the llama my boys found yourself wrapped around? He is well. Asleep in one of the spare rooms" Mr. Big said dismissvely.

Nick let out a huge sigh of relief at this piece of news. But the moment was fleeting...

"What about the other thugs? Me and Neil had nothing to do with any of them" he said urgently.

"They have been...dealt with. They have been a nagging problem for some months now"

"Good, good, that is..." Nick began to say, until he noticed the shrew's unimpressed look.

"...bad, I mean bad! Very very bad! How could you do something like that Mr. Big?" Nick said, trying to save face.

Mr. Big simply chuckled. Actually _chuckled_. It sent shivers down Nick's spine.

"Oh Nicky, I forgot how entertaining you could be..." Mr. Big said with a smile.

"You know me, it ain't a victory till I have the last laugh..." Nick said, trying to play along.

"Is that what you expect to accomplish here my boy? The last laugh? As you turn over evidence incriminating my organization to your superiors?"

Nick's stomach dropped to his knees. That shrew doesn't miss a beat.

"I'm not looking to cause any trouble Mr. Big, I wasn't there for the ZPD, I was there to take a lost kid back to his sister." Nick said seriously.

"Is that so?" the shrew replied.

Nick blinked at the reply. The tone in the shrew's voice bordered on demeaning.

"Yes, it is" Nick said a little hotly. "I had no idea you're bears wear going to knock over the chop shop. My only concern was Neil, the llama you found me with"

"Your only concern was Neil...interesting." said the shrew indignantly.

"Yes, he is. He still is."

"If he was of such importance to you, then where was your backup? Where were your fellow officers? Or even your partner?"

"She is back home, with her family. I did this on my own"

"How unfortunate. No one to back your story. Perhaps I should eliminate the both of you tonight to keep this under wraps."

Nick slowly balled his paws into fists.

"And how would you break it to your granddaughters godmother you killed her own partner?"

"Police mammals are killed in the line of duty all year round..." the shrew mused.

"Is that a threat Mr. Big?" Nick said with a snarl.

"It is a fact my boy, one I'm more than happy to demonstr-"

The heated conversation was then broken by a high pitched voice. Riding into the office on the paw of another guard, was the daughter of the crime boss, Fru Fru. And held firmly with her arms, was the toddler known to Nick as "little Judy".

"Oh daaaaddiiieee! Dinner is almost ready! Oh, hello Nicky!" said the stylish, bubbly shrew.

"Hello Fru Fru, and how are you little Judy?" Nick said warmly, looking down at the little baby shrew in Fru Fru's arms.

The toddler shrew cooed and babbled in excitement at the smiling fox.

"She is doing just wonderfully, she's already learning to walk, I can't take my eyes off of her for two seconds before she goes wandering around!" Fru Fru explained, tickling the little one.

Nick chuckled to himself. The mental image of giant polar bears stumbling over each other desperately around the manor looking for a stray toddler was highly amusing.

"What are you doing here Nick? Is Judy with you?" Fru Fru asked

"I was just..."

"Getting his paws reacquainted with business..."Mr. Big interjected solemnly.

"Nick, you didn't! What would Judy say?" Fru Fru accused furiously, knowing what her father meant.

Nick rolled his eyes and growled in agitation.

"She would say she was proud of me because I wasn't there for a stupid score! I was trying to help someone in need!" Nick said defensively.

"My boy, I have been in this trade for many decades. I have seen my fair share of dirty cops. That excuse is nothing new to my ears...what would our dear Judith say about you Nicky?" Mr. Big continued.

That did it. The fox's patience had run out.

"What do you want from me Mr. Big?! Huh? Tell me! You want to kill me?! FINE! Go ahead and do it! JUST ICE ME ALREADY! GET IT OVER WITH!" Nick shouted, his voice escalating with each sentence.

The fox's sudden outburst brought a rare look of shock on the crime boss's face. His own icy blue eyes actually visible for once under his bushy eyebrows.

Two days...

Two days of helping around the city, to get her out of his head, and all it took was ten seconds with a professional criminal to bring it all crashing back again. Finally drained of his fury, Nick slumped down to his knees and lowered his head. Not even bothering to hold back the fresh tears in his eyes.

"I don't _care_ anymore..."he muttered.

The room had gone quiet. Even the polar bear guards, normally as stoic as a mountainscape, exchanged looks of bewilderment amongst each other. Finally, Mr. Big spoke.

"Baby, please take little Juju back into the playroom for awhile before dinner is served" he said to Fru Fru.

Nodding once, Fru Fru scooped up little Judy into her arms and stepped onto the waiting paw of one of the guards, who quickly hurried out of the room with barely a sound. As they disappeared through the door, Fru Fru gave Nick a very worried look.

"Nicky my boy, what is it that is troubling you?" Mr. Big asked gently.

Nick eyed the old crime boss in disbelief. He actually cared? There was a time Mr. Big was concerned for Nick's well being, before he got cocky and royally screwed it up. But why should it matter now?

What did he care anymore?

"I'm in love Mr. Big" Nick finally said, "I'm in love with the most wonderful mammal I've ever known, and it's killing me"

The arctic shrew raised an eyebrow at the fox's response. But there was no impatience behind it, only a gentle curiosity.

"My boy, love is not something to be..." the shrew started to say.

"Please...don't lie to me Mr. Big! Don't tell me love is something precious and wonderful to behold. Because it's not. You try and try, and all it ever does is leave you _wanting_. _Waiting_. For something that never...ever...happens!" Nick shouted with venom.

"Who is it that has stolen your heart my boy?" the crime boss asked slowly. "Who has done this to you?"

Nick looked away in shame.

"I can't say..."he murmured.

Several minutes passed before the crime boss spoke again.

"Is it our dear Judith Hopps?" Mr. Big asked with a heavy, knowing voice.

There were more tears now, and a slight sob.

"Does she know?"

The fox nodded once. The shrew lowered his head with grim understanding.

"And your feelings weren't reciprocated?" the shrew continued.

Nick shook his head slowly, tears now flowing down his cheeks.

"She said no Mr. Big" Nick said softly, the very words driving a knife further into his heart. "She said no..."

Nick wiped both of his eyes and faced the Shrew with a little more composure.

"A guy in a bar recently told me a mammal is as good as dead when his heart has been broken to pieces by the one he loves. I'm inclined to agree with him now..."

The crime boss looked deeply into the fox's eyes, like a father comforting a son.

"...So go ahead Mr. Big, finish me off. I'm done fighting"

His head dropped again. He faintly heard the arctic shrew mutter something along the line of _Oh dear..._

There was a snap of fingers, and Kevin moved closer and gingerly picked Nick up by his armpits. Setting him back on his feet so close to the desk the crime boss was less than an arm's length away.

"My boy, love is a blessing, and a burden. It can give us everything, and it can take away everything. Many say love makes fools of us all, but that is not true. For we are fools to love. Love does not care for our money, our words, our fur color, our species...not for any of the trivial matters we mammals create. Love only cares for one thing, to make us one. And only one."

Nick said nothing. The shrew's words were echoing deeply inside his heart.

"...but only when the time is _right_. Love does not care for when it is convenient for us to fall with it. Nor does it care for when it is convenient to have it given back. Have faith my child, give your love _time_ , to find the right moment for it to be given back."

Nick was speechless. The shrew decided to answer for him.

"A car will take you and the child to the edge of Savannah Central. There you can continue on to the ZPD. Your involvement in tonight's activities shall be swept under the table" Mr. Big declared.

Nick could only gape at the shrew in wonderment.

"Thank you sir" he replied with a hoarse voice.

To the fox's continued surprise, the gentle crime boss stepped out of his chair and walked forward to the edge of the desk.

"Come, sit with us to dinner. Like the family we once were..." he asked warmly.

"Does this mean I'm completely forgiven?" Nick asked snarkily.

"That is another matter for another time. But for now, it shall be overlooked. We still have much to discuss"

"Discuss?" Nick asked.

The arctic shrew returned to his seat and was promptly picked up by Koslov. Before they began to move for the door, the shrew gave Nick a devious smile.

"I have a few words to say to the potential suitor of my granddaughter's godmother"

"Hooraaaaayyyy..." Nick squeaked fearfully.

* * *

 _Later that evening..._

"No it's no trouble at all Director...yep...no we'll be there. Alright? Have a good evening" Nick said, hanging up the phone.

 _Yes! I'm all set._

Double checking to make sure everything on his desk was as he left it, he turned off the computer monitor and slithered out of his desk. Only to run nose first into the cold, metal buckle of Chief Bogo's belt.

"He-Heeeeeey Chief!" Nick greeted enthusiastically, stepping away.

"I told you to take the day off" Bogo deadpanned.

Nick's jovial appearance faded and was quickly replaced with smooth professionalism.

"Yes, yes you did but you see Chief, I would love to kick back and relax at home, but Carrots would kill me if she came back from her wonderful holiday vacation and found a mountain of paperwork waiting for her..."

Jumping into his chair, Nick grabbed a pile of reports and began to nervously thumb through them. The entire time, Bogo remained quiet.

"...and being the considerate partner I am, I decided to get a little bit of a headstart so I came in today and..."

"How was Tundratown today?" the buffalo asked.

The nervous fox quickly fell quiet and still.

"Who squealed?" Nick asked firmly, his back still to the Chief.

"Clawhauser" Bogo said simply.

Nick groaned loudly and smacked his forehead with a paw.

"Why that...bloated...gossiping... _school cat_!" Nick spat.

"Next time, don't keep secrets with the twitchy receptionist who answers directly to the boss" Bogo said with a grin.

"Duly noted Chief..." the fox said dryly.

As the fox fumed at his desk, the Chief crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the cubicle. His eyes locked firmly on the vulpine officer.

"Riddle me this Wilde, why do you feel compelled to continue working off the clock? A trait that is distinctly anti-you"

The fox slowly twirled in his chair to face the Chief with a defeated look.

"Ok Chief, you got me. And the answer is simple...Santa Paws"

Bogo's scowl increased in intensity.

"It occurred to me just this past week Chief, that perhaps I haven't entirely been a good fox this year, thus I took it upon myself to help a few mammals in need. Hoping I can score a few points with the big guy this year. I didn't want anyone else to catch on, so I kept it as a secret between myself and gossip butt out front..." Nick explained with a mile long smirk.

Nick then got out of his chair and climbed onto his desk to poke his head above the cubicle's walls. Facing the general direction of the front lobby.

"...Who can just forget about those reward doughnuts I promised!" Nick barked loudly.

"Wilde, can you please focus and just answer my question..." Bogo huffed impatiently.

Nick plopped back down into his chair and gave a tired sigh before replying.

"Alright sir, I met a llama in the streets looking for her brother, after a little digging, I tracked him down where I found he was hanging with a gang in Tundratown. I swooped in, grabbed him, and brought him back" the fox explained calmly.

Bogo gave the fox a quizzical look.

"And the border collie?"

"Just a friend the llama made along the way"

"Why didn't you call any of this in?" the buffalo asked.

At this, the fox's calm demeanor began to falter. The next few sentences out of his mouth could determine whether or not he lived to see the next sunrise.

"Because...hypothetically, let's just say I may...or may not...have run into a Corleone family operation along the way..." the fox said nervously.

Bogo's eyes grew wide at the mention of the shrew family name.

"...which may or may not have anything to do with...eliminating a rival chop shop operation with extreme prejudice..."

Now it was Bogo's turn to smack his forehead with a hoof.

"Is there any evidence to these claims of yours?" Bogo said unhappily.

Nick's nose twitched.

"What claims?" he said steadily.

" _Good_ " Bogo finished. "I advise you keep these _fabrications_ of yours to yourself Officer"

"Yes sir" Nick said without hesitation.

Bogo huffed through his nose and turned to leave.

"One more thing Wilde..." said the Chief, stopping a moment.

"Yes sir?"

"Are you alright?" Bogo asked with a serious look.

Nick tried not to gulp, his throat turning bone dry instantly.

 _I love you Judy, with all of my heart..._

 _N-Nick, I-I...I-I don't..._

"Yeah, everything's a-ok Chief" Nick replied with a straight face.

"You sure?" Bogo insisted.

 _She didn't stop. No matter how loudly he screamed her name._

 _She didn't stop running._

"Absolutely, one hundred percent" Nick said with a smirk.

The buffalo kept staring at the fox intensely for a few moments before visibly relaxing.

"The janitor's will be here in two hours. You better be home by then. Have a good night" the buffalo grumbled.

Nick threw the Chief a lackadaisical salute as the buffalo left the cubicle. He hardly made it two yards when suddenly the fox stuck his head out the cubicle and called out.

"Hey Chief, one more question, what's your _dress_ size?"

* * *

 **A/N: Christmas is upon us, and this story isn't half done yet...this is embarrassing.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Argh! Too busy with holiday stuff to write! Now I'm writing a Christmas fic when we're post Christmas. Oh well! On with the show!**

Dawn Bellwether was quietly reading a novel in her cell when she received an unexpected surprise. Sitting on her bed with her knees to her chest, she was pulled out of her fantasy land due to a loud tapping noise. She looked up to find her usual jaguar prison guard standing on the other side of the cell door.

"Let's go Bellwether, someone wants to talk to you" he said.

Bellwether lowered her book and scrunched her face in confusion.

"I didn't ask for any visitors..." she said confusedly.

"You got one now. Come on, ain't got all day" said the guard impatiently.

"Oh dear!" she murmured, jumping out of bed.

.

.

The walk down the prison block was made in silence. Two guards, one a trim arctic wolf, the other a burly warthog, silently walked with her on either side. The chains of the cuffs binding her wrists together jingled like a pair of bells with each step.

The two guards led the condemned sheep down a side corridor and through a door. Which led to a long, narrow room. Walls of concrete made up three of the sides while the fourth was a thick, bulletproof glass window subdivided into sections. Each section with a chair and a phone. As she was led inside, her eyes grew big when she found her visitor was one of the last mammals she would ever want to see again. Taking the seat in front of the visitor, she gracefully picked up the phone receiver, cleared her throat, and spoke warmly.

"Nicholas Wilde" she said, genuinely surprised.

"Dawn Bellwether" the fox officer replied from the other side, eyes focused intently on the sheep.

"This is a surprise. Not exactly the Christmas gift I was expecting, but a surprising one at least"

"How's prison yakety yak? Any chance of changing your evil ways for the better?" he quipped.

"Hmm, let me think...keep dreaming _fox_ " she spat.

"Too bad" Nick said with a shrug.

"Where's Judy? I thought you and our dear hero bunny we're inseparable" Bellwether teased.

"She's busy" said Nick simply.

Bellwether simply hummed and gave Nick a half-lidded look.

"So what do I owe the displeasure?" the sheep said with a smile.

"I have something for you"

Nick motioned with a tilt of his head for Bellwether to turn and a see a prison guard standing next to her holding out a small, wrapped green package. The sheep took the present with suspicion.

"Is this a trick?" she asked.

The fox shook his head.

"Before you get excited, there is nothing in there to help you escape" Nick added.

"Such a shame, I'm very keen on getting out and paying you and Officer Hopps back" Bellwether said, looking over the box.

"I don't doubt it" replied Nick.

Bellwether tested the box by shaking it a tad and pressing an ear against the side.

"What is it?" she asked eagerly.

"You can open it in a minute, I want to talk first"

This had the ewe's attention. Setting the box down in her lap, she adjusted her glasses and politely addressed the fox.

"Talk? About what?"

"I came here to apologize, and to thank you"

This surprised the sheep a little, but she then followed up with a devious smirk of her own.

"Let me out first and I'll consider it"

"Consider what?" Nick said.

"I thought you said you wanted to apologize?" Bellwether replied.

"For putting you away? As if, you belong in here. Or in a madhouse, I'm not picky." Nick said pointedly.

The sheep behind the glass grumbled and slumped back in her seat.

"I came to thank you, because in a very twisted sense, your little spout of insanity is part of the reason for where I am today" Nick explained.

"Oh?"

"If it wasn't for you and your little posse's scheming, Officer Hopps never would've had a reason to need my help. We never would've bonded as friends, I never would've become a cop, and we never would've become partners."

 _I never would've lost my heart to her either..._

In spite of recent events and the pang of sadness that pulsed in his heart, Nick knew deep down that was a detail he would never regret as long as he lived.

"An unfortunate turn of events really..." the ewe said sadly to herself..

"Despite the unfortunate reasons _why_ we came together, I still grateful that we did. And I have you to thank for that. And _only_ that..." he explained firmly.

"Fine way of showing your gratitude..." Bellwether said harshly, brushing down her orange prison jumpsuit.

"Perhaps, but you did try to divide the city" he said plainly.

"Try? I didn't try anything. The city's already divided. It always will be as long as dangerous predators like you roam the streets"

"Funny, it wasn't a predator that was running around darting innocent mammals with liquid insanity"

"True, but it did show how deadly you predators can be with such little...persuasion" she purred.

"Your actions nearly had mammals killed" Nick argued.

"Oh come on Mr. Wilde, it was fuuuuun" she said a little breathlessly.

The tone in the sheep's voice made Nick's skin crawl. But he held his ground, and pressed on.

"You and I are very similar Bellwether. There was a day we had reality stomped into us. A day we learned how the world saw us. A day where we believed them"

"And how did you determine that?" she asked.

"I did some digging on you, learned quite a few helpful details" he said smugly.

"You know nothing about me fox" she said with hostility.

"Oh but I do. Poor little Bellwether, a tiny, angry, itty bitty lamb drowning in a world filled with mammals so much stronger...faster...so much better than she was...just because they were what they were. But you forgot one thing Bellwether..."

"And what is that?" she asked with rage building in her squeaky voice.

"In Zootopia, anyone can be anything" he said frankly "It doesn't matter how long your teeth are, or your fur color, or how tall you are. What matters is the person on the inside. Nothing else. A very special mammal showed me that. And if a someone like me can see it, then so can someone like you Bellwether"

The sheep behind the glass smiled like a snake and leaned forward. Nearly pressing her face up against the glass itself.

"And what can I be Officer Wilde?" she asked.

Nick paused a moment, his eyes hard as steel.

"Redeemed" he replied.

Bellwether leaned back in her seat and scoffed as if she was told reindeer could actually fly.

"You don't believe that garbage do you? You of all mammals should know that, _fox_ " she spat.

"I believe...you are cruel, heartless, and manipulative" Nick replied slowly.

"Oh stop it Mr. Wilde, you'll make a little sheep come out in a blush" Bellwether teased with a wave of her hoof.

"But something made you Bellwether. As much as some mammals would beg to differ, I don't believe you were born a monster. No more than I was born a hustler..."

Bellwether had fallen silently. Carefully hanging on to the fox's every word.

"...I will never forgive you for what you did to the city. For what you did to predators like me, for what you did to Judy. For what you tried to do in the museum."

There was a sigh from the sheep now.

"Are you nearly finished Officer Wilde?" she said a little bored.

"Almost...then you I'll leave you be...open it"

Bellwether raised an eyebrow at the fox before lifting the gift back up in her hoofs. Delicately ripping off a top corner, she slowly pulled the wrapping paper off to reveal a small plastic box. With an eager hoof, she carefully opened the box.

She gasped. Nick took the opportunity to speak.

"...That hate for predators had to start somewhere. There was a day in your life you grew to resent mammals like me Bellwether. A day they hurt you, a day they probably told you were inferior and weak for being prey. And on behalf of all predators out there, I'm sorry you were treated that way. You didn't deserve it Bellwether"

Resting in her hooves was a brand new, Gleeful Gabrielle ballerina sheep doll. The little sheep had goldilocks hair, two black beads for eyes, and a smile made from a tiny red string. She was dressed in a blue tutu with pink dancing shoes on her bottom hooves.

It was just like the one that wretched leopard Idra stole from her in grade school all those years ago. Bellwether tried to get her doll back, but she was just a meek little sheep, what could she do against a big bad predator made of claws and muscle?

Nick smiled a little in victory as he noticed the sheep's eyes begin to turn watery. Having Veranda bust Duke Weaselton the other day proved useful after all. Turned out the tabby cat was right, there was no gain to be had in knocking over an old-fashioned toy store. The lousy weasel was simply too stupid to double check his addresses. Mr. Brener was so relieved at the news he offered Nick a gift...which he put to good use...

"Merry Christmas Dawn Bellwether" Nick Wilde said with tenderness.

Before Bellwether could gather her words, Nick began to move out of his seat. He made perhaps three steps when he suddenly dashed back to the visiting screen and tapped twice on the glass to get the sheep's attention.

"One more thing, if you _ever_ get out...which is _highly_ doubtful...but if you ever do, call me."

His eyes were hard but Bellwether could not deny the sincerity in his voice.

"I'll take you wherever you want to go" he finished.

And with that, Nick turned and began to walk out of the visiting hall. Tail swishing back and forth behind him. In his wake was an emotionally stunted sheep. Who was so lost in thought she barely even noticed when the guards escorted her back to her cell.

She didn't say anything for the rest of the day. Even late into the evening, after lights out had been declared for the cell block, she was silent. Quietly laying in bed staring at the ceiling with her new possession wrapped tightly in her arms.

Her mind a million miles away.

 **A/N: Few more chapters to go, no idea how fast I can churn them out. Thanks for all of you who has stuck around this long!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so so incredibly sorry for the wait everyone! I have no excuse or reason worth telling that'll justify my absence. So spare me your forgiveness, for I don't deserve it. Instead I'll cut to the chase and get on with the story.**

 **Here we go!**

 _Why…why did I do that?_

 _Why did he say that? Why did I say any of that?_

 _He hates me now….he has to…_

 _'I would too if my friend ran away like that,'_

 _You're not helping!_

 _'Help? Why should I? Do you_ deserve _to be helped after breaking his heart like that?'_

 _I didn't mean t…._

 _'No explanation, no goodbye, no reason given, you just ran for the hills then back home without looking back…_

"Judy?"

 _'Poor Nicholas, he's been through so much…'_

 _Please, just leave me alone…_

 _'I wonder what he is doing, all alone during the holiday season…'_

"Judy…?"

 _Oh Nick, I'm so sorry…_

 _'You think that's enough to fix what you've done to your friend? To the who one who has declared his love for you?'_

 _But, what can I say?_

 _'The truth perhaps…'_

 _I don't even know if I feel the sa…_

"Hey Judy! Uncle Stu needs something!"

Judy's teary violet eyes blinked back into reality as she turned to face her cousin who had nudged her with an elbow. Said cousin motioned with his head for her to turn forward to face her father. Stu was standing behind a tripod mounted camera, which was aimed toward the proverbial ocean of bunnies huddled together in front of the massive tree in the living room.

"Could you run upstairs and fetch Joanna? That girl spends way too much time on that computer of hers..." Stuart Hopps asked.

"Sure dad! Be right back!" Judy replied cheerfully.

Hopping to her feet from the spot between her cousins, Judy quickly moved away from the gathered family in front of the tree and bounded up the stairs. Her destination, the third floor bedroom wing of the burrow.

' _Yes, that is right Judy, run. That's all you're good for right?'_

 _Quiet!_

Judy shook her head furiously as she reached the top step. They wouldn't stop. No matter how hard she tried. The voices nibbling at her thoughts wouldn't stop. Ever since...that _night_...the voices wouldn't give her any peace. Every time they spoke, her stomach would twist into a knot, and the image of her partner's heartbroken face floated into her mind.

As she made her way down the hall, she passed by a few hanging portraits of smiling siblings and relatives. One of them wasn't a portrait but a small decorative mirror. She came to a stop right in front of it to gaze at her reflection. She was the embodiment of holiday cheer: A sunflower yellow sweater, black slacks, combed fur, and a smile warmer than any log fire.

Was it any wonder why she was so downcast?

Her shoulders slumped, her smile faded away. The depressed rabbit staring back at her had a story to tell. A wonderful story didn't you know? A heartwarming Christmas story of the magical moment when strong friendship blossomed into true lo...

 _N-Nick, I-I...I-I don't...  
_  
 _'Oh dear…that wasn't supposed to happen was it?'_

She closed her eyes tight and took a slow breath. But when she looked back at the mirror, she noticed it wasn't a pair of violet eyes looking back at her. No, they were green, emerald green. And those emerald eyes didn't belong to a white and gray furred rabbit either. Those eyes belonged to a devastated fox of rusty red and cream fur, the same heartbroken fox that had been haunting her thoughts and dreams for several days now.

 _His eyes...they looked so...I've only seen them like that once before..._

She took another breath, one much slower than the last.

 _Why Nick?...Why me?_

 _'Isn't it obvious?'_

 _But we're just friends! Best friends!_

 _'Friends who work together all day, who go out on the town together every weekend, friends who make dinner for each other nearly every night of the week…'_

 _But best friends do that together!_

 _'You pull him off of the streets, you pushed him through training, pinned a shiny badge on his chest and ran away with him to fight crime and make the world a better place…'_

 _I did all that because I knew he could be so much more, because he_ is _so much more…he just needed someone to show him that…someone who cared…_

 _'Exactly….how could he fall for anyone else after he's met someone like you? After everything you've done for him?'_

A noise escaped from her throat that was a cross between a sigh and a sob. On reflex she wiped her eyes with an arm, wiping away the small drops of moisture. It was amazing she had any left. Every night she would lay in bed and mentally wrestle herself over the choice of whether or not to dial Nick's number.

So far, she had lost the debate each night. Every time her fingers hovered over her phone, she would pull back in fright. She wanted to talk to him, she _needed_ to talk to him, but she was too afraid; afraid of the sound of his voice, afraid of what he might say to her, afraid of the _questions_ ….

She moaned pitifully as she pushed the thoughts away. Wiping the last of the tears away and a smoothing out the front of her sweater, she resumed her task and headed down the hall toward Joanna's room.

The sound of muffled music and rapid finger tapping on keys could be heard the moment Judy poked her head into her younger sister's room. Joanna, a dusty brown furred doe who wasn't much older than fifteen, was at her desk browsing the internet on her laptop. So absorbed into her virtual world, she hardly noticed as her older sister marched over and yanked an earbud out of her right ear.

"Ugh, what?" Joanna complained.

"Everyone is gathering for the family photo in front of the tree..." Judy explained, paws on her hips. Judy wasn't even finished speaking when Joanna groaned dramatically. "Do I have to?" she whined.

The police bunny simply gave the teenager a look. With another scoff and roll of her eyes, Joanna accepted. "Fine, I'll be down in a sec." the teenager huffed.

Sticking the earbuds back into her ears, the teenager quickly forgot Judy's presence. Curious to her sister's activities, Judy carefully raised herself onto her tip toes to peek over Joanna's shoulders. She was watching a Mewtube video on Furbook of some guitar playing panther giving an exuberant performance in some club.

Or perhaps it was some theater, Judy couldn't tell. What she could tell was the panther was tearing up the stage like a mad mammal and the crowd loved every second of it. Judy raised an eyebrow in contemplation as she watched the panther twirl about with his guitar dangling by the strap on his neck. That panther seemed awfully familiar.

"What are you watching?" Judy asked.

"This Mewtube video of a guitarist taken a few days ago, he's gone totally viral, everyone loves him!" exclaimed the teenager.

"Can I listen?"

Joanna huffed a little as she removed an ear bud and offered it to Judy. Plopping the device into her ear, she was met with a delightful sound of jangly riffs and peppy rhythm.

"Wow, he's actually very good..." Judy murmured, staring transfixed at the dancing panther on the screen.

"I know right? His name's Lenni, the people on Furbook say he's just some homeless street performer or something."

Judy tilted her head a little as she watched. "He seems familiar actually…"

"You probably saw him on the streets on patrol or some such. But you won't any more, he's going to make it big! There are rumors saying he's been offered more venues!"

"Good for him," Judy said with a smile.

"It really shows you doesn't it?"

Judy raised an eyebrow at her sister. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I just think it's so inspiring you know? Like, he used to live in the gutter, a total bum, living on scraps or other mammal's money, but then he rose up and now he's famous! Who could've imagined it?""

Judy tried not to gulp at how familiar the panther's story really was. At that moment, a glaring detail suddenly into place. "Wait! Yes I do know him!"

"What?" Joanna asked.

"I know that panther! I've seen him play before!"

Joanna's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. "Seriously?!"

"Yes, I think he used to play at this club me and Nick used to visit back in Zootopia. "

"Ugh, jealous! I'd kill to see him live."

"Well, next time you come to visit me in Zootopia perhaps we can catch a show of his."

"Cops get in for free right?" Joanna asked deviously.

Judy stood up straighter and gave her sister a light huff. "Joanna, just because I'm a cop doesn't mean I can score free tickets for mammals."

"But do you think you're partner could?"

Judy blinked dumbly. "What?"

"Well, he's a fox right? He should be pretty good at that stuff. You know, having... _connections_ and all that. I mean, that's what foxes do right?" Joanna said with a suggestive smirk.

Judy's blood boiled. She balled her fists so tight her own claws dug into her skin, "Joanna how dare you! Nick is my friend and a respected officer! Not

Joanna raised her paws up in defense. "Okay, okay! Jeez! Testy much sis?"

Judy stomped on the floor with a foot hard enough to leave a bruise. "When my own sister insults my friends, then _yes_!"

"Fine! I'm sorry! Jeez! I know he's your boyfriend but you don't need to take my head off for Pete's sake!"

Quick as a whip, Judy's rage subsided. Her blood turned cold, and faint tingle of electricity danced up her spine as a certain fox's voice played inside her head.

 _I love you Judy, with all of my heart..._

 _'My, my, where have we heard that before?'_

* * *

 ** _Meadowlands Many nights ago…._**

The air within the ballroom pavilion was pulsing with electricity. To the side, the seven piece band was belting out a smooth swing piece. Mammal couples of nearly every combination were twirling and jamming the night away. All of them, except a certain fox and rabbit pair who broke off from the dancing mammals and moved off to the side. Taking a seat in a nearby dinner chair, Judy kicked off her high heels to carefully rub her aching toes.

"Oooh, my feet..." she moaned.

"Sheesh Carrots, where's that legendary rabbit endurance?" said the smirking fox.

The rabbit's eyes hovered up to give her fox companion an unamused look. "You know I can't dance Slick..." she huffed playfully. "…especially in these horrible things,"

The fox simply smiled. "Well if the poor bunny is all danced out for the evening, would she care for a stroll outside to get some fresh air?" he asked politely, offering out a paw.

Grabbing her shoes, the rabbit smiled widely as she took the fox's paw. "Sure."

The fox's smile grew wickedly, causing the rabbit to lose hers. In one step Nick scooped Judy off of her feet and began carrying her as he marched for the ballrooms doors that led outside.

"Nick! Put me down!" she protested.

"But I thought your feet were killing you?" he asked innocently.

"I can still walk you dumb fox,"

"Too bad," he jested.

The rabbit struggled in his arms for a bit longer before resigning to her impromptu taxi service. They slowly made their war down a brick path that stretched between the river and the festival. Along the riverbank there were other clubs and riverside venues, each one bursting with some holiday event or another. The further they walked, the more Judy seemed to relax within Nick's arms.

"This has been a wonderful evening Nick, thank you for taking me."

"Anything for you Fluff, every mammal needs a little break now and again. Even for little miss super cop..."

She rolled her eyes and giggled softly. "How very wise of you,"

"…Which is way I vote you should let me drive us home tonight." He added.

She flicked him once on the ear. "Keep dreaming Slick," she jested. "You're driving is worse than mine."

"What? Can't I get some kind of reward for treating you this lovely evening?" he whined jokingly.

Judy rolled her eyes a second time with a shake of her head. "Fine, how can I repay you for tonight?"

The two partners soon came up a small grove of decorated pine trees alongside the brick path. There were a couple of streetlights and a few steel benches. Setting Judy back down alongside a pine covered in gold tinsel, Nick flashed her a half-lidded smirk.

"I can think of one thing," he said.

The fox aimed a single finger toward the ceiling, drawing the rabbit's gaze to a familiar ball of dark green leaves and snow white berries. Her ears fell back as she nervously looked at her partner, whose smirk bordered on being devilish.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers..."she whispered.

Nick nodded slowly, "MmmHmmm,"

"Ah! Get away!" she squealed cheerfully.

Breaking free from his grasp, Judy began to sprint through the maze of pine trees as fast as her legs could carry her through the ankle deep snow. On the two officers chased each other through the trees and over the field, her lavender dress sparkling like a hundred stars in the low evening light. The pursuit went for what must've been twenty minutes before the fox lost track of the elusive bunny. He had just rounded the corner of a tree when a solid object tackled him from behind.

Tossing and tumbling over each other across the ground, they came to a stop with Judy sprawled on top of his chest, both mammals panting heavily. Despite his thick shirt and vest, Judy could feel the fox's heart pounding heavily in his chest, probably from all the running she figured.

"Nice try...* _huff_ *...Slick." she wheezed. "But you're going to have to try harder than that..."

"Aw Carrots, just go and break a poor fox's heart like that..." he moaned.

Judy snorted a little with laughter at Nick's tiny display of mock defeat. She would never admit it, lest she fueled his ego even more, but her partner sure could act convincingly at times. Even she had trouble telling the difference when he was sincerely dismayed or playing a part for effect.

"Don't worry Nick, I'll be sure to leave something special in your stocking on Christmas day for tonight."

The fox sighed through his nose. "I can't win, can I?"

Judy gave the fox a smug smile, "Nope."

She booped him on the nose once before clambering off and rising back to her feet. Standing back up himself, Nick brushed the snow off his coat and pants before doing one good shake, sending tiny flakes of snow flying in all directions. Plopping down into one of the nearby benches, the two mammals leaned back and watched the stars twinkle in the sky, quietly chatting with one another about this and that; about work, city life, family, and a few current events of the day. Until eventually….

"Nick, do you ever think about...you know, romance?" Judy asked carefully.

If she wasn't so fixated on the sky, she would have noticed the fox stiffen in his seat. "Sometimes," he replied smoothly.

"Anyone ever catch your eye?"

The fox shrugged lazily, but he didn't speak. "How about you?" he asked.

She clasped her paws together and leaned her head against the fox's shoulders, humming contentedly from the fox's warmth.

"Not often. But every now and again, my mind wanders. I mean, I'm 26, you're 34..." she began.

Nick sniffed. "29 miss mathematics, you always forget my tax forms should've said a decade and a half, not two."

The rabbit scoffed lightly. "Fine, 29 then...of course, I wasn't the one who lied about their age on a federal form you know."

Nick smirked. "And yet you would think a police officer's investigation would always be so much more thorough."

Judy slapped his arm. "Jerk."

"Dumb bunny."

"Grumpy fox."

Nick moaned in annoyance, to which Judy giggled before continuing. "As I was saying, it comes up every now and again. I've never given it much thought, I was trying so hard to achieve my dream it just seemed like…."

"Something to get in the way?" Nick added.

The rabbit shrunk a little in her seat. "Sort of, I guess. I'm not against it, it just wasn't the most important thing in the world to me for a long time."

There was a long pause between the two of them.

"How about now?" Nick asked.

Judy sighed slowly. "I don't know…maybe?"

There was another pause, but the silence was broken by an awkward cough from the fox.

"But let's say, hypothetically, what if one day a dashing buck came in and swooped you off of your cute little feet? What then?" Nick began.

Judy was about to retort about the use of the 'c' word when the next sentence out of the fox's mouth stopped her in her tracks.

"…You wouldn't need to hang out with this bag of red fur anymore." Nick finished with a shrug.

Judy eyed the fox with curiosity, his tone was level, and his eyes were dead focused on the stars above them, but she knew better. She had known this fox for two years now; she could tell when the walls were up. A small smile grew across her face as she reached up to move his chin down so he could face her directly, his emerald eyes growing wide as she did so.

"And what makes you think that?" she asked gently. "I've put far too much work into you to throw  
you away that easily Nick Wilde, and don't you forget it."

The rabbit smiled even harder at the swimming reflection in the fox's eyes. He reached slowly with a paw to place it atop of her own that was still on his face, his lips parting ever so slightly as if he was about to say something. Before he could, Judy leaned forward to place a tiny kiss on his left cheek,

"Come on, it's getting late, we should head back." she said.

Slipping on her high heels once more, the rabbit rose from her seat and began to walk down the path toward the festival. Not once noticing the fox's lingering gaze as she walked away.

* * *

Eventually, the two friends returned to the ballroom and were now standing outside the front door in front of the parking lot. Judy was rummaging through her purse to find the Cruiser keys while Nick stood close by, seemingly avoiding her gaze every time she glanced in his direction.

"Thank you so much Nick, this night was wonderful." she said sweetly.

The fox gave a lazy shrug. "Well we've known each other for two Christmas's now, I figured it was high time we did something together for fun during the holidays."

To his surprise, the rabbit drew closer and grabbed both of his paws with her own. "I mean it Nick,

He smiled warmly at her. "Don't sweat it Fluff, it's what friends do for each other this time of year right?"

"About that Nick, there was something I've been meaning to ask you for awhile now..." she began, looking to the side nervously.

She didn't see it. If she did, she would've noticed the hopeful expression grow over the fox's features. The glowing spark in his eyes, the tightening of his paws over her own.

"Really? Cause I've had something I wanted to tell you too..." he said softly.

His comment went unnoticed. The rabbit in front of him was so lost in thought over her request she barely heard him.

"Even though we're just friends, I was wondering, about having you over at..."

"I love you Judy, with all of my heart..." he said sincerely.

The world ended.

The gears in Judy's head came to screeching halt. Every nerve in her brain short circuited while her heart rocketed up into her throat. _L-love me?,_ she thought. The blood began to drain from her face as she struggled to get her mouth to move, gaping like a dub fish as stared at the fox in pure shock.

"N-Nick, I-I...I-I don't..."

The look on his face when she stuttered, it was the single most heartbreaking sight she had ever seen.

"Y-you d-don't…?" he began, drawing back a little.

"W-wait Nick! That's not w-what I mean, well, it sort of is, uhm…not quite, exactly..." she stuttered.

"N-No, its f-fine Judy i-it's no big…"

The rabbit shook her head violently, tiny drops of water flying from her eyes as she did so. "No! N-Nick listen, I uhm, I don't mean that. At least, not like...that exactly. Or at least not what you mean perhaps...but I mean..."

The fox's face twisted with poor understanding. "Then, you mean...?"

"What I mean is..." she began unsteadily, nervously twitching in place. "... what I think I mean is not quite what you might think I mean..." she rambled.

"Judy, I don't understand what you're saying..." Nick replied.

"I-I mean, how do I know what I mean is what you mean, or if you could m-mean something else entirely...because we're two very different mammals, so what I think you mean could be different than what you could mean, or what you do mean, or what you think you mean..."

"What do YOU mean?!" Nick shouted in exasperation.

"I don't even know!" the poor rabbit screeched.

Pressing both of her paws to her face, she tried to hide herself from the powerful emerald gaze of the fox in front of her. The same gaze she knew was looking back at her in despair.

"Judy, I..."

"I-I have to go!" she squeaked.

And she did. She lifted the hem of her dress, and spun on her heel to run for the parking lot.

"Judy wait!" Nick screamed.

But she didn't stop. Her heart hammered in her chest at the thought of the reality she was afraid to face behind her.

"Judy please!"

The sound of his voice, it broke her heart even further. She began to feel her own eyes turn even more salty at the sound. But she still didn't stop, even when she ran round a parked elephant van and disappeared out of sight.

She never stopped.

"JUUUDDYYYY!"

=================================================================  
 ** _Present..._**

Judy gave a nervous chuckle. "H-he's not my boyfriend. W-what makes you say that?"

The look Joanna gave her sister would give anyone reason enough to question who was the more mature one of the bunch. "I've seen your Furbook page sis, like, you two are practically glued together. All the photos of each other? The selfies? The banter in the comments? Like, it's pretty obvious sis."

Judy crossed her arms and turned to look away. "Well you assumed incorrectly."

Joanna tilted her head. "You okay sis? You seem… _moody_."

Judy's eyes darted at her sister for a brief moment before looking away once more. "Nick and I had a bit of a rough patch before I came over…" she said barely above a whisper.

"What'd ya do? Break up with him?"

Judy hopped backward in shock so suddenly it was as if a firework was lit beneath her feet. "What?! NO!" She hollered.

"Then why the drama show?"

There was a tinge of pink on her cheeks. "I-uh, we, we aren't even dating!"

Joanna rolled her eyes. "Like I believe that..."

"Joanna, there is nothing going on between me and Nick. And I'd appreciate it if you would mind your own business!"

"Yeah, don't care, it's your problem sis. He's your fox, you deal with it."

"He's-NOT-MY-FOX!" Judy spat through gritted teeth.

"Still don't care."

Judy's temper was dangerously reaching critical levels, there was even a smidgen of teeth grinding occurring, but she professionally managed to hold back the urge to strangle her sibling…..barely. "If you're quite finished, we need to head downstairs. You know how upset mom become's..."Judy said.

"Fine," Joanna groaned, sliding her chair back away from the desk and heading for the door, passing her still seething sister in the process.

"Remind me again how _you_ have a boyfriend while having such a snotty attitude?" Judy remarked.

"Whatever sis, at least I don't run from _my_ problems..."

Judy stopped dead in her tracks, her sister leaving her behind. Her ears fell behind her head again as stared at the floor. She didn't move an inch for several moments until a noise from the door grabbed her attention.

"You coming or what? Cause, like, I don't care, but you know how mom gets..." Joanna said mischievously.

Judy gave the teenager a scowl and marched out of the room. With a bemused sister trailing behind, Judy rejoined her family at the base of the Christmas tree. Once everyone had resumed their positions, Stu set the camera's timer before scrambling to his spot. When the photo had been taken, and printed out for all to see, Judy couldn't help shake the notion someone important was missing from the group.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Two things, one I'M BACK. Bet you didn't see that coming! And two….**

 **I hate to say this, but this chap is short. Why?**

 **Because somehow my laptop #$!%$ % deleted the other half! Don't know what happened or what I did, but right now I'm recreating the second half by memory which will hopefully be up soon. No promises. I'm still drowning in an ocean of schoolwork.**

 **Zootopia is Property of DISNEY**

0000

 _ **ZNN Broadcast**_

 _"Breaking news this afternoon as new developments are coming in on the Little Rodentia Roof Collapse"_

 _"Investigators now attribute the district wide event to a lack of proper maintenance, which combined with the increased snowfall of the season, has now left nearly twelve thousand inhabitants without shelter."_

 _"However, we are happy to report the now homeless citizens are being relocated to temporary housing conditions until repairs can be made to the collapsed buildings. Our sources report the new location was offered by noted ZPD Officer, Nicholas Wilde, who personally arranged for the homeless residents to be transported to…"_

The leopard news anchor's voice through the electronics store window was promptly cut off by the sound of an impatient car horn, which was quickly replied with by an extended finger from a scowling fennec fox. Everywhere one could see the streets of Tundratown were packed to the brim with last minute holiday shoppers moving underneath a perpetual ocean of soft neon light from all the store front's and citywide Christmas decorations.

Somewhere amongst the hustle and bustle, the owner of an old van leaped out from the driver's seat with a snow shovel in paw. His fiery red hoodie seemed to compliment his mood as he glared daggers at the pile of snow wedged firmly between the front and rear wheel sets. He was running late, if Radolph expected his ' _supply_ ' on time then he had better get to shoveling. No merch equaled no pay, and no pay equaled one unhappy fennec fox. Ten minutes later, he had nearly, but not quite, shoveled half of the snow pile away when a voice came up from behind.

"Need some assistance citizen?"

The fennec fox froze. You never grew up as a hustler on the streets of Zootopia without recognizing the authoritative sound of a police officer's voice. Whoever the chump was, he was standing only a few feet away behind the fennec, his van, and the precious cargo within. Standing up just a little straighter, the fennec threw on a straight and calmly turned round in place to face the officer.

"No officer, I don't need any help…"

He paused mid sentence. A small growl escaped from his throat.

"…from ugly ass two bit rent a cops," Finnick finished threateningly.

The officer smirked. Framed by the parked Police Cruiser behind him, he had one leg crossed in front of the other and was leaning cool mammal like with one elbow propped up on the handle of a long shovel, his smirk positively radiating with smugness.

"Aww Finnick, is that anyway to talk to your daddy?" Nick teased.

Mumbling something that would've made a nun gasp in fright, Finnick turned away to resume the excavation of his van. Still chuckling to himself, Nick stepped closer and lowered his own shovel down to assist.

"How's business Fin?" Nick asked, shoveling out a chunk of snow.

"None of yours," the fennec groused, tossing away another clump.

"Hmm, slow then?" Nick jabbed.

The fennec fox grunted deeply as he heaved a shovel full of snow out of the way. "Still with that bunny cop of yours?"

Nick's heart clenched in pain, but didn't let it show."Yep," he replied easily, voice unwavering.

"Where the hell is she? You figure a bunny would get a kick out of shoveling this crap,"

"Bunnies like to dig in dirt Finnick, not snow." Nick pointed out.

"And you would know all about that wouldn't you?" Finnick said with a suggestive grin.

Nick's throat began to tighten. He paused a moment in his shoveling to adjust the police mammal hat on his head and to collect his thoughts. It was barely past lunchtime and the day was already falling apart. He lost Veranda during morning patrol after she received a call about a possible family emergency which she took at Nick's urging. The supposed quick trip to visit Bellwether in prison had taken an hour longer than it was supposed to, which pushed back his schedule only further. Christmas was only around the corner, there wasn't much time left if he planned to keep...

"You listening to me Nick?" Finnick asked impatiently.

Nick blinked. "Huh, what?" he asked dumbly.

"I said, where is little Miss Cotton tail?"

"Eh, she's off in the Burrows to be with family," Nick shrugged, shoveling once more.

"Probably tired of seeing your ugly mug for a whole year," Finnick teased.

Nick chuckled dryly, "Pretty much."

"So what have you been up to Nicky? The straight life treating you well?"

"As good as a public servant's salary can I guess, I can't complain really. My coworkers are a total riot, I'd think you would like them Fin…"

"Hmph! As if!" the fennec scoffed.

Despite the protest, Nick continued. "…my boss is the kindest, wisest, and most patient mammal on the planet. Always willing to spare a few minutes to listen to your troubles…"

"Sounds to me he's a total wuss…"

"And I have a great partner that life's never boring with,"

"Sap," Finnick jabbed.

"I even took her out to a nice dinner a few nights ago to celebrate the holiday,"

"How'd that treat ya?"

Nick smirked and gave a relaxed shrug. "Pretty well, I know how to treat girls,"

As Nick continued to shovel, he didn't notice the calculating stare coming from his old hustling partner. Leaning his own shovel against the van, Finnick slowly turned to face his friend with a serious look.

"Alright fool, spill."

Nick's stomach did a flip. Slinging the shovel across the top of his shoulders, Nick placed a single paw on his hip before calmly facing his angry friend.

"Spill what?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know that look," said the fennec, crossing his arms.

"What look?"

"The look you get when you're hiding something. I've known your dumb ass for far too long not to know it when I see it."

"I'm not hiding anything."

"The hell you are, what did you do?"

Nick's eyes furrowed. "I haven't done anything!"

"Something happened, I know it. You have guilt scribbled all over your face, so don't play smart with me. Was it something with miss bunny cop? Did you say something stupid? _Again_?"

"Nothing happened! We went out for a nice dinner, danced a bit, had a bit too much to drink, then we went home, end of story." Nick replied quickly, his voice still held at an even tone.

The two foxes stood there in the frozen street for several minutes, eyes locked in a quiet duel. Eventually, the fennec let out a tired breath.

"You're an idiot Wilde," Finnick deadpanned.

Nick had just opened his mouth to argue when the rear door of the van swung open violently. Leaning his head out into the cold afternoon air was an amber eyed, teal t-shirt wearing bat with a green scarf around his neck.

"Hey Fin, you done yet?" the bat shouted with a raspy voice, "Because the light back here is killing me! If this takes any longer you can deliver the goods yo self! I don't care how much money this will…rake…in…"

The bat's face slowly morphed into a look of pure terror when he finally noticed the larger fox standing nearby. Specifically, the larger fox wearing a shiny _police badge_ pinned on his chest.

"...which is totally cool! Yeah, everything's cool, no need to uh, worry about back here! All's cool!"

With an artificial smile, the bat hurriedly disappeared back inside the van, the door slamming shut hard. Nick slowly lowered his head to face the fennec fox with one eyebrow raised. While said fennec firmly avoided his friend's questioning gaze, acting as cool as one could be.

"Should I be concerned about that?" Nick asked simply.

Finnick glared back. "Whose asking? Nick the two-bit rent a cop, or Nick the romantic dead beat?"

Nick's brow furrowed once more as he placed both paws on his hips, waiting for an explanation.

"It's for Radolph," Finnick said finally, looking away.

Nick was surprised. Radolph was in fact a local mule know for bathing once every two months, had a fierce temper to match, and liked to spend his days verbally harassing pedestrians from his second floor apartment window. But what very few mammals knew was the slimy equestrian had a knack for moving…. _specialized_ goods through neighborhoods by way of apartment tenets themselves rather than runners out on the streets. Long story short, Nick and Finnick had a certain history with the mule, and it was a history Nick had decided a long time ago he would take to his grave.

"Radolph? That greasy mule? What are you working with him for Finnick?"

Nick's questions went unanswered as Finnick resumed shoveling. Figuring the fennec fox was in no mood for an interrogation, Nick made an executive decision. "Well I guess I'll just have to see for myself," he said.

"Wilde! Don't you dare open that you mother-!"

Nick threw the rear doors of the van wide open. His jaw dropped. "Oh my god," Nick murmured.

Packed tight from front to back, from the floor to the ceiling, were several towering piles of metal wind-up toys, miniature polished brass instruments, shiny tree decorations, and a red-eyed, fatigued looking bat. The inside of the van was very much a potent crystal ball due to the light reflecting off of all the shiny merchandise.

Nick let out a disbelieving chuckle. "Are those, decorations? Toys?!" he said, breaking into hysterics.

The bat groaned miserably as he rubbed his aching eyes. "The light hurts man…" he moaned.

The snickering red fox gazed down at the seething fennec. "Finnick, care to explain?"

Finnick snarled, but responded. "It's for the school where Radolph's grandson goes to. They're doing a stupid charity thing, and Radolph offered pay for extra merch, so I told him I knew a warehouse filled with the junk they needed. And before you ask, stuff was a tax write off and going to get pitched anyways, so nothing was stolen _officer,"_ Finnick explained.

Nick only began to chortle even harder, "Why Finnick, you do have a heart! It's a Christmas miracle!" Nick cooed, flicking the fennec's ears with a finger.

Finnick's response was to try and bite Nick's wandering fingers but he failed miserably, much to the larger fox's amusement. Slamming the van door shut, Finnick grabbed his shovel and stomped back to the front of the van.

"Aw, come on Finny, don't be mad!" Nick called out playfully.

The smaller fox ignored Nick's comments and instead took his anger out on the last few shovelfuls of snow, sending the clumps flying so high into the air they were landing on unsuspecting pedestrians on the other side of the street. Rejoining his old hustling partner, Nick leaned against the side of the van and cleared his throat nervously.

"All jokes aside Fin, before you go, there was actually something I wanted to ask you about." Nick began uneasily.

"I have a phone for that you ass," Finnick complained.

"I know, but this is something better discussed in person," Nick explained carefully.

The fennec glared at Nick for a brief moment before replying. "Shoot,"

"Tomorrow night, my mother is throwing a holiday dinner for some friends and family members. I wanted you to know you're invited,"

With a slight heave, Finnick tossed the small shovel back inside the van through the driver's window before wiping the snow off his paws. "I'll pass. You know I love your mom, but holiday sit downs aren't my style Nick."

"I know buddy, but it has been awhile since we've hung out together. And even longer than that since my mom has last seen you, she really misses her second _'son'_ you know," Nick teased lightly.

The fennec eyed his former partner before sighing softly. "Alright..." he said.

A genuine smile began to grow on Nick's face. It was very uncommon for the volatile fennec to ever be inclined to….

"...I'll consider it." Finnick finished bluntly.

Nick's smile fell. _That_ was the usual response he was expecting from his old childhood pal. With a snap of a lighter, Finnick lit up a quick cigarette and took a long draw.

"Thank you Fin," Nick said.

A cloud of smoke billowed from the fennec's mouth as he exhaled. "Yeah yeah, are we done here? I've got stuff to do."

Nick cleared his throat awkwardly. "There was one more thing..."

"There always is," Finnick grumbled.

Nick slowly rubbed the back of his neck, now looking even more nervous than before. "I was also hoping you could bring Merillin along,"

That got the hustler fox's attention. Finnick inhaled so sharply in surprise he practically swallowed his cigarette, causing him to bend over and hack his lungs out to remove the hot ash from his throat.

"Are you serious?!" Finnick coughed angrily.

Nick gave the fennec a look to show the smaller fox _exactly_ how serious he was.

Finnick stepped back in fright. "Forget it! I ain't walking into that deathtrap!" he cried, flailing his arms about.

"Fin it's been six years! SIX! How long is Merillin going to keep this up?" Nick shouted.

"Till we stick her in the ground!" Finnick spat.

Nick groaned loudly and placed a paw on the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. "Come on buddy, this feud between our mothers has gone on for too long! It's becoming pathetic."

"Of course it's pathetic! Just because they're our mom's doesn't stop the fact they're women! That's what they do!"

Nick raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "First off, I'll pretend you didn't say that. Second, think about this buddy, we could use this as a chance to get them to kiss and make up. Don't you remember how close they used to be?"

"Of course I remember, I got to know your stupid ass because our mothers wouldn't leave each other alone!"

Nick snapped two fingers together with a flourish. "Exactly! If we can get them to apologize to each other, then they'll want to hang out again! And if they want to spend more time together, then that means less time Merillin will spend bothering you and asking for rides. Hmmm?"

Finnick sniffed loudly and rudely as he carefully debated over Nick's proposal. "And what did _your_ mom say?" he asked.

Nick said nothing, but it was all Finnick needed to hear.

"Because you haven't even fucking asked her yet," Finnick said lamely, shoulders slumping.

"I was planning on asking her once I got off of my shift," Nick explained.

"Uh huh, and why do you care all of a sudden? I don't recall you giving a flying flip for six years, so why now?"

This caused another groan from the fox officer. "Because you're right Finnick, I've been an idiot recently, and now I have _two_ women in my life with issues. So pardon me, for trying to sort things out with at least one of them!" Nick snapped.

The fennec's scowl grew even more at this new piece of information. He turned away and crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll ask. Don't expect much," the smaller fox grumbled.

"Thanks Fin, I appreciate it." Nick said thankfully.

"Sap," Finnick jabbed.

Nick chuckled softly. Mumbling quietly, the fennec fox jumped back into his van and fired up the engine. "If this all goes to hell, I'm taking it out of your ass." he threatened with a glare.

Nick smirked. "I wouldn't have it any other way buddy,"

The small fox snorted once more before slamming down on the pedal and tearing down the road at a good clip while kicking up a cloud of wet slush straight into Nick's face.

Picking the last piece of snow out of his eye, Nick retrieved his shovel and headed back for the Cruiser, his confidence over his little holiday mission beginning to dwindle by the second. As Nick buckled himself in, his eyes briefly hovered over a small photograph taped to the dashboard. It was a simple little selfie of him and Judy hanging out on the beach one summer day, the two of them wearing sunglasses, arm's slung over each other's shoulders, and smiles a mile wide.

"Tell me Carrots, you think this is a good idea?" he asked.

The cheerful rabbit in the photo continued to smile back at him.

"You're right… _'try everything'_ …" he murmured with a sigh.

The photo said nothing in return.

0000

 **It's still December right?**


End file.
